Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Light and Shadow
by SharpEyLogic
Summary: Fate is turning it's wheel when a former human appears on the beach of Treasure Town as a Pokemon, with no memory aside from their name. Apocalypse is looming on the horizon and our only saviors are an amnesiac Pokemon and a timid, but determined explorer. Time is slowly being swallowed by darkness, darkness with a shade that isn't as evil as people think. A retell of PMD: EoS
1. Prologue: Enigma on the Beach

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Prologue: Enigma on the Beach

"Whoa! Hang on!" Lightning boomed around us, making building size waves tower over our ship.

"Brace yourself!" A voice cried next to me and the wave crashed down onto us, burying my body under gallons of saltwater. When the wave receded, I was left spluttering and choking on the deck. A blast of wind blew me off my feet and I crashed into the ship's railing before tumbling down to the merciless sea below. At the last second, I grabbed the edge of the boat's barrier and held on for dear life.

"Hang on! I'm going to help you!" The voice I heard earlier cried out frantically, but my hand was beginning to slip. My strength was fading away.

"I… I can't hang on!" I yelled.

"Just a little longer! Don't giv-" The voice abruptly stopped as my hand finally gave out and I tumbled down the ship and into the dark waves. The moment I hit the water, my vision slipped away.

"Ughhh…" I blinked my eyes open for what seemed like years later. A gentle sea and waves splashed nearby me. The sand was hot in my palms "W-where am I?"

Immediately, my eyes began to droop and my vision went dark "Losing... consciousness…"

On a hillside overlooking the town, a lone Eevee paced anxiously in front of a large tent designed after the Pokemon Wigglytuff.

"Okay, I think I can do this" The Eevee took a deep breath and stepped onto the grate covering a hole in the earth.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!" A voice called from below.

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?" Another voice called.

"Eek!" The Eevee leaped off the grate in fear and stood far from it, trembling.

"I… I can't do it. I'm such a coward…" She murmured then reached into her bag slung over her body. She pulled out a rock and placed it onto the ground next to the grate. There was a pattern on the stone that glowed with white light.

"I swore that I would unravel the mystery of my Relic Fragment, but…" The Eevee sighed, pitiful about herself and slipped the rock back into her bag "I can't do it. I'm too much of a chicken to even stand on a grate…"

Upset about her timidness, the Eevee made her way off the hillside and walked towards the beach. However, two Pokemon, who were hiding behind the tent, were watching her. A Koffing and a Zubat.

"Heh-heh-heh. Did you see that girl there Koffing?" The Zubat snickered.

"Whoa-ho-ho. I sure did Zubat. Did you see that rock she was holding?" The Koffing replied.

"Looks high value to me. Should we go take it?"

"We do"

The Eevee headed down to the beach, where Krabby were blowing bubbles into the sunset. The view was breathtaking. The orange sunset lighting the whole sea ablaze, the swirl of bubbles flying high in the sky and the calm waves making light splashes against the cliffs of Beach Cave. The Eevee smiled. She always came here if she was feeling sorry for herself. The view always calmed her down.

"Ah, what an amazing sight…" She gazed towards the sun setting below the horizon, starry-eyed. She glanced to her left and noticed something different about the beach. There was someone lying in the sand! The Eevee quickly rushed towards the unconscious Pokemon in the sand and rapidly shook his shoulders.

"Hey! Are you awake? Can you hear me?"

I groaned and groggily opened my eyes to a beautiful Eevee staring down at me, her face frantic with worry. She lit up with relief when she saw me open my eyes.

"Oh thank goodness you're awake! Are you okay?" The Eevee asked, her voice calm and soothing.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. But… how are you able to speak to me? I don't remember Pokemon learning to speak..." I said, shaking the sand off my head. The Eevee looked at me, dumbfounded.

"Err.. what are you talking about? All Pokemon can speak to each other" She said, staring at me with a perplexed look.

"But I'm a human! How can I suddenly hear Pokemon speak now? Am I in some fever dream?" I pinched my arm to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. To my horror, I saw that my arm was blue and my hand was like a dog's paw "What the-"

"A human?! Uhh... you look like a completely normal Riolu to me" The Eevee said, her voice strained with unease.

"A Riolu?" My eyes widened as I gazed over my body, my blue paws having rounded bumps on the forearms. Black floppy ears dangled beside me and my tail swished to the hot summer wind. The Eevee wasn't kidding. I really **was** a Riolu! Before I could scream in panic, a Koffing and a Zubat came behind the Eevee and knocked her down, dropping a jagged rock in the process.

"Hey! What was that for?!" The Eevee got up and glared daggers at the two Pokemon.

"Whoops, sorry! Is this yours?" The Koffing approached the strange rock.

"Yes, give it back please" The Eevee said, but the Zubat approached the rock too. He picked it up and threw it into his bag. The Eevee jumped in shock.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Heh-heh-heh! Too chicken to get it back?" The Zubat taunted while the Koffing laughed.

"I…" The Eevee stood paralyzed in fear.

"Whoa-ho-ho. She's more of a coward than we thought! Looks like the money's going to come rolling to us now!" The Koffing cackled.

"Let's get out of here" The Zubat said and the duo went towards the nearby Beach Cave "See you later, chicken"

After they left, the Eevee shook with rage.

"Those jerks! I need to get my Relic Fragment back!" The Eevee growled with determined malice "But… I'm too weak and cowardly to do it on my own. Can you please help me?"

" _Well, I just got turned into a Pokemon and I have no idea what to do now, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to help this girl out"_ , I thought.

"I'll help you, but you owe me an explanation after this is done, alright?" I said and the Eevee jumped for joy.

"Thank you! Oh, I haven't even asked for your name yet. Mine is Priscilla"

"I'm Silvin. Now then, shall we go?"

"Yes, of course. Let's hurry before those two get away!"

Once we were inside, the walls and terrain shifted like a mirage, creating a set of rooms and hallways.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you this" Priscilla caught my look of surprise and smiled "This world has tons of "mystery dungeons" scattered over the land and every time you enter, the layout will shift, making each exploration different"

"That's pretty cool" I admitted "So do we just scourge around here until we find a staircase?"

"Putting it bluntly, yes. Every floor in the dungeon has one staircase that leads to the next floor. Rooms found within the floor may contain Pokemon, items or those tiles on the floor, which are called "Wonder Tiles" Priscilla explained.

"Alright, I got it. You can explain all this to me later. We have to catch those two thieves" I said, making my way towards the hallway to my left.

"Yes, you're right. Let's get moving" Priscilla nodded and followed me through the left hallway. As we were walking, Priscilla continued explaining information to me.

"Pokemon that inhabit this place will attack us because they think we're intruding on their territory, so be careful" the Eevee advised "Every Pokemon has a set of "moves" which are special attacks that have increased power, typing, accuracy or even an effect"

Suddenly, a blue and green slug came towards us and shot a blast of Water Gun towards me. The force of the blast smacked me in the face and I stumbled into Priscilla, but she managed to stop me from toppling over.

"That Shellos just used Water Gun at us. Maybe you got something to retaliate?"

On instinct, white aura surrounded my body and I lunged at the speed of light towards the Shellos, hitting it in the head with my fist. I followed up with a swift bite to the skull while the slug with stunned, taking it down. Priscilla stood behind me, impressed.

"Wow, you already got the hang of it. You're a good fighter" The Eevee grinned brightly "And a quick learner too"

"You don't need to dump praise on me" I said, although a silly smile managed to stick on my face "We need to get that rock back, right? Let's find the stairs"

We continued moving throughout the dungeon, picking up items along the way and battling other Pokemon. We found a Blast Seed on the BF2 (which stood for Bottom Floor 2) and Priscilla described it as a seed filled with explosive substance. When it collides with an object or surface, it'll explode in a small blast range.

"A little strange this small seed holds the power of a stick of dynamite" I said, careful not the drop the explosive seed "It makes me scared to even hold it"

"Only with enough impact will the seed detonate. I wouldn't worry if I were you" Priscilla assured me.

Later on BF3, Priscilla found an Oran Berry on the ground, which was then explained as the main food source of this world, alongside Apples. I was seriously wondering how this berry was still fresh after being in a damp cave for who knows how long, but the berry looked fine. Not a scrap of dirt or grime to be found.

"Mystery dungeons are weird. Seemingly, they preserve organic items like apples and berries, which is why so many Pokemon live there" The Eevee explained "Probably something to do with the magical nature of dungeons"

"If you say so" I shrugged. Better to just accept than question it at this point. Finally, we found the stairs and they lead down to a clearing with a gushing waterfall. Two figures were gazing at the torrent: A Koffing and a Zubat. The same ones who robbed Priscilla.

"Hey!" Priscilla yelled angrily at the two and they faced us, surprised.

"Whoa-ho-ho! I'm shocked to see you here. Thought you were too chicken to come fight us" The Koffing cackled.

"Give back my Relic Fragment! It's valuable!" Priscilla's paws dug into the sand beneath us hard.

"Heh-heh-heh. Valuable huh?" The Zubat grinned and then laughed wildly "All the more reason not to give it back!"

"What?!" Priscilla got even more angry. If looks could kill, the waterfall would be turned into lava and Koffing and Zubat would be sent straight into it.

"If you want it back, come and get it!" Koffing taunted and prepared to fight.

"Oh, I'll get it alright. Through sheer force! Let's do this Silvin!" Priscilla rushed towards Koffing and hit him hard with a Tackle. Koffing countered with a puff of poisonous Smog, blinding Priscilla with toxic smoke. Koffin knocked her to the ground with a hard Tackle. I smacked Zubat out of the way with Quick Attack and threw by Blast Seed at Koffing to keep him away from Priscilla. The Blast Seed collided with Koffind and exploded, leaving him staggering around aimlessly. Priscilla managed to bat away the Smog and lunged into the air with Quick Attack, striking Koffing to the ground with Tackle. Koffing crashed and tumbled to the ground.

"Over here!" Suddenly, Zubat came behind me and slashed me with Wing Attack. I clutched my arms to my chest and braced myself with Endure while Zubat collided another Wing Attack against me.

"Silvin, take this!" Priscilla knocked Zubat away with Quick Attack and handed me the Oran Berry. While Priscilla was fighting Zubat, I bit into the Oran Berry. I was rather sweet, with a hint of blueberry taste in it. It immediately healed me up and I was back in the fight. Priscilla pushed Zubat back with Tackle and I followed up with a Bite to his wing, sending the bat flying to the ground, his bag dropping in the process.

"Urrg…" Koffing and Zubat groaned and got up, their movement sluggish and slow. Not way they were able to continue fighting us. Priscilla retrieved her Relic Fragment from Zubat's bag and held it close, wary of the two thieves.

"Whoa-ho-ho. You're pretty tough, aren't you?" Koffing said, feigning impression.

"Heh-heh-heh. This will be the last time!" Zubat promised and snatched up his bag, flying out of Beach Cave alongside his partner. With them gone, we took our leave too and made it out to the beach.

"Phew, thank you so much for helping get my Relic Fragment back!" Priscilla smiled affectionately at me "I really wouldn't have been able to do it without you"

"Well, it's the least I can do" I laughed "Now, I believe you owe me an explanation of how this place works"

"Yes, I'll tell you how everything goes here" Priscilla nodded "But I have to ask you one more thing"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Do you… want to make an exploration team with me?" Priscilla immediately dropped her head "It's okay if you don't want to, but I feel like me and you made a good team back there. Maybe we discover so much more if we're together!"

"Well, how can I say no? I'll be lost if I didn't have someone to lean on" I said, making Priscilla grin with joy.

"Thank you! We can make our team at Wigglytuff's Guild atop the hill over there" Priscilla pointed to a pink coloured tent on top a cliffside.

"Alright, let's go then. Thought of a name?"

"What about… Team Skylar?"

"Team Skylar… has a good ring to it. I like it"


	2. Chapter 1: The First Exploration

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 1: The First Exploration

Priscilla shivered as we hiked up the hill towards Wigglytuff's Guild.

"Something wrong?" I asked, noticing the Eevee fidgeting and twitching around.

"S-sorry. Just a little nervous, that's all" Priscilla said, giving me a faint smile of approval, then took a deep breath as we approached the entrance.

"Before we're allowed in, we have to step on this grate" Priscilla pointed to a wooden grate in front of the tent entrance "Probably for security reasons"

"Alright, you want to go first?" I offered.

"S-sure" Priscilla walked onto the grate and a voice called from below.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

Priscilla let out a small yelp, but took a deep breath and calmed down just as another voice called out.

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint is… Eevee! The footprint is Eevee" The first voice replied.

"Hey you!" The second voice boomed, startling Priscilla "There's someone else with you, right? Get onto the grate!"

"I think they're talking about you Silvin" Priscilla got off the grate and I stood over it.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint belongs to…" Suddenly the first voice trailed off "The footprint belongs to… uhh…"

"What's the matter over there?! Whose footprint is it?" The second voice yelled.

"Uhh umm…" The first voice continued to stutter, then yelled back "The footprint is Riolu?!"

"Are you sure?!"

"Uhh… yes!"

"Ugh, FINE. I'll go check myself!"

Suddenly, the second voice was right below me.

"Sorry to keep you WAITING!" The second voice boomed "It's true that we don't get many Riolu in these parts but…"

"But…?" Priscilla trailed off.

"You don't seem like bad Pokemon. Very well! You can enter!" The iron gate blocking the tent entrance lifted with a loud creak. We entered the building and found a ladder leading down to the bottom floor. When we came down, we were greeted by tons of Pokemon going around, either chatting with each other or looking up jobs on the boards next to us.

"Wow! Are all these Pokemon part of exploration teams?" Priscilla looked around the room, amazed. Before we could decide what to do, a Chatot climbed up a ladder from the floor below us and approached us.

"Are you the two who just walked in?" The Chatot asked in a steady tone, like a tactician giving orders to his troops "I am Chatot, the head of intelligence in Wigglytuff's Guild. What are you here for?"

"We're here to-" Priscilla began, but the Chatot cut her off, flapping his wing close to her face.

"Shoo! We don't have time for surveys and salespeople. Go on! Get out!" the Chatot squawked, irritated.

"No, no! We want to apply as an exploration team!" Priscilla cried, causing the Chatot to rear back in shock.

"You want to apply as apprentices?!" Chatot then turned his back to us and murmured to himself "It's rare to see kids like this wanting to make an exploration team, especially given how hard our training is!"

Priscilla stared at Chatot with confusion "Huh? Is the guild training really that severe?"

Chatot suddenly turned back to up and fluttered "Hm? Oh no no no! It's not true in the slightest! Our training program for exploration teams is as easily as it can be!"

"Oh… now you're making it sound like ANYBODY can do it…" I muttered under my breath.

"You should've told me upfront that you wanted to be an exploration team! Hee hee!" Chatot grinned, his tail swishing passively.

Priscilla looked at me with a face of confusion "His attitude suddenly changed, didn't it…"

"Anyways, let's get your team signed up!" Chatot continued his unusually happy demeanor as he led us down to the basement of the guild. Turning left, Chatot stopped at a set of wooden double doors marked with a red symbol.

"Wow, we're two floors under, but we can still see outside!" Priscilla marveled.

"Oh hush now!" Chatot said irritably "The guild is built onto the side of a cliff. It's only natural that you can see outside"

"I thought you would know that" I said jokingly and Priscilla let out an embarrassed laugh.

"Anyways, here are Guildmaster Wigglytuff's Chambers" Chatot said, pointing to the double doors next to us "On no account or any condition, you will NOT be discourteous to the Guildmaster. Understood?"

"Guildmaster! It's Chatot! I'm coming in!" Chatot called as he pushed the double doors open, leading us into a room lit by torches and filled with banners, treasure chests and other loot. A pink Pokemon had its back turned to us as he stood on the center red carpet.

"Guildmaster! I present to you two Pokemon who wish to join our guild as apprentices" Chatot Pokemon didn't respond nor even turn his front on us, so Chatot repeated his message.

"Guildmaster? Umm… Guildmaster…?" Chatot said slowly and suddenly the Pokemon turned around, startling me, Priscilla and Chatot.

"Hiya!" the Wigglytuff greeted in a voice that belonged to a child "I'm Wigglytuff! And I'm the guild's guildmaster!"

"Y-yeah, nice to meet you…" Priscilla looked at me with a look of sudden regret. Coming here didn't seem like a good idea anymore.

"You want to form an exploration team? Then let's go for it!" Wigglytuff continued "First, we have to register your exploration team's name. So what's your team name?"

"Ah right, our name. It's Team Skylar" I said.

"Wow, you're pretty fast!" Wigglytuff grinned "I'll register your team as Skylar. Registering… registering…"

Priscilla looked at me again, wide eyed by Wigglytuff's odd behavior. I gave her the same look back.

"All registered!" Wigglytuff confirmed "YOOM-TAH!"

"Eek!" Priscilla let out a short yelp, but covered her mouth in time to not embarrass herself. Wigglytuff was so random and odd. I didn't think the leader of a exploration guild would be as silly as this.

"Congratulations! From now on, you're an official exploration team!" Wigglytuff congratulated "I present to you this commemoration"

Wigglytuff took a small yellow box from a treasure chest behind him and presented it to us. I didn't know what it was, but Priscilla seemed to know.

"A Pokemon Exploration Team Kit?"

"Yep, it's what every exploration teams needs!" Wigglytuff explained "Quick, open it up!"

We opened the kit and found two small leather bags, two white badges with wings and a pink symbol etched in the center, along with a old-looking map made of parchment.

"Ooh. Treasure Bags, Explorer Badges and a Wonder Map? Wow, so many great stuff in here!" Priscilla grinned with giddy happiness.

"The Explorer Badge is your team identification! It'll let everyone know you're an exploration team!" Wigglytuff said "And the Wonder Map is a wonder of convenience!"

Wigglytuff let the joke hang in the air, but none of us laughed, or even let out a chuckle. We just stared at him until he looked uncomfortable, then continued explaining.

"Finally, the Treasure Bag, the most important item for an explorer! It helps you carry items you find in dungeons" Wigglytuff continued "The successes as an exploration team can lead to bigger and bigger space in your bag, so do your best!"

"Thank you so much! We'll make sure to not disappoint you!" Priscilla smiled with warm joy.

"Take a look inside your Treasure Bag. I have a gift for you inside!" Wigglytuff instructed and I pulled the bag open. Inside was a sky blue bowtie emitting a small aura of blue fire along with a plain brown flowing scarf.

"The bowtie is the Sky Blue Bow while the brown scarf is the Power Band" Wigglytuff said "I'm sure they'll help you out in your adventures. Consider them my personal gift to you!"

"T-thank you so much! We'll do our best!" Priscilla thanked the guildmaster.

"You two are still apprenticing, so you gotta do your best… to train!" Chatot chimed in.

"Yes of course! We'll do everything we can, right Silvin?" My Eevee partner asked me. I nodded in approval and she smiled warmly.

"Now then, let me show you around. Take your gifts with you" Chatot instructed and we left with parting thanks to Wigglytuff. Chatot led us to the far left side of the bottom floor, towards the bedrooms. He escorted us to the one at the end of the hallway.

"This is your room" Chatot presented our room, a patch of hard earth with vines growing on the walls and on the ceiling. A circular window showed the view of the town overhead. In the center were two hay beds, like bird nests.

"You'll be living here while you work for us" Chatot explained as we settled down into our beds "Things will start getting busy for you tomorrow, so rise early and start living up to our code! Don't stay up late. Get to sleep early tonight!"

"Got it" I nodded and Chatot left the room, shutting the door behind him. The sunset outside our window quickly turned into pale night, with the full moon shining through the glass. Priscilla was sleeping peacefully nearby, making light and adorable snoring noises. I stared up the the ceiling, trying to fall asleep. The hay beds we were given weren't all that comfortable. The hay kept digging into my head. I really wanted a pillow.

"Are you still awake Silvin?" Priscilla murmured in her sleep.

"Yeah… what's up?" I murmured back.

"My heart's been racing all day" the Eevee admitted "But I'm glad I finally forced myself to come here"

"Yeah, this place is pretty lively. Being in an exploration team sounds fun too" I replied.

"I honestly thought Wigglytuff would be a bit scary, but he's actually pretty nice" Priscilla said and I laughed quietly.

"Would anybody be scared of Wigglytuff? Just look at him"

"Heh, I guess you're right" Priscilla turned and stared at me with a smile "We'll experience all sorts of new stuff tomorrow. Are you feeling nervous or frightened Silvin?"

"Neither really. I'm actually excited for how tomorrow will go. Our first job as apprentices" I said and Priscilla reached her paw forward to stroke my face.

"I feel the same" Priscilla said and retracted her paw from my head "I'm feeling a little sleepy. Let's do our best tomorrow, alright?"

As Priscilla lay back down to sleep, I reached my hand and touched the spot Priscilla touched. She was really starting to like me, no doubt about that. Sure, I liked her company, but it felt odd that a Pokemon would take such a big liking to a former human. Plus, I have no idea how I got here, how I turned into a Pokemon and how I ended up unconscious on that beach. Questioning the unknown just made me more sleepy, so I made myself as comfortable as I could and fell asleep.

"HEY! HEY THERE! RISE AND SHINE!"

I jerked myself awake to the overwhelmingly loud voice screaming at me. My head was pounding like crazy and felt like it was going to explode. Yet still, the loud voice continued to blast my eardrums.

"Why are you still ASLEEP?! GET UP!"

"Okay okay, we hear you…" I muttered weakly as I rose from the prickly hay bed.

"My poor ears…" Priscilla moaned next to me.

"Come on! Snap OUT of it!" The voice screeched "I'm Loudred and I'm a fellow apprentice like you two"

"Nice to meet you, but why is your voice so loud…" Priscilla moaned, still woozy from the sudden alarm clock.

"He has the word "loud" in his name. What did you expect?" I grumbled, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"If you're late for our morning briefing, you'll be SORRY! So get MOVING!" Loudred blared, then turned around to leave "Guildmaster Wigglytuff has a BIG temper and if you make him lose it…"

Loudred let the threat hang in the air, then shivered "Ooh, that'll be one SCARY scene. So get up and GO! I'm not getting in trouble because you rookies got up so LATE!"

And with that, Loudred left our room, leaving both of us alone. My head was still pounding and I was woozy from the sudden awakening. I really hoped Loudred wasn't our daily alarm clock.

"Why doesn't our room have a lock…" Priscilla muttered "My ears are still ringing. What did he say?"

"Uhm, it was something about getting ready for morning briefing. You know, we signed up as apprentices yesterday…" I slowly reminded Priscilla and she snapped, her half-lidded eyes suddenly going as wide as coins.

"Wah! We overslept! We gotta hurry Silvin!" Priscilla urged and we pushed the door open, rushing out of the guild's bedrooms. We arrived in front of Wigglytuff's chambers just as the briefing was about to start.

"You're LATE!" Loudred cried from the back of the crowd.

"Hush! Your voice is ridiculously loud!" Chatot snapped and Loudred quieted down with a low growl. Chatot surveyed the crowd around us and nodded his head.

"Looks like everyone's present. Very well, let us begin the morning address" Chatot turned to Wigglytuff's door "Guildmaster! The guild is in full attendance!"

A few seconds passed before Wigglytuff's door opened and the guildmaster waddled out.

"Thank you Guildmaster. Please address the crew" Chatot instructed. Instead, Wigglytuff made light snoring noises and low grunts.

"Zzz…. Zzzzz…. Snofle… Zzz…"

"Looks like we aren't the only ones who overslept" I whispered to Priscilla's ear.

"Guildmaster Wigglytuff never ceases to amaze me" I heard another apprentice whisper.

"Yeah, you got that right" Another apprentice replied.

"Yup, looks like he's wide awake" A third apprentice said sarcastically.

"Eek! His eyes are wide open, but he's fast asleep!" a high female voice cried in a low tone.

"Thank you Guildmaster. We all value your… words of wisdom!" Chatot said, as if to pardon Wigglytuff's behavior "Ok Pokemon, let us take Wigglytuff's words to heart"

"Uhm… okay" One Pokemon said among other unsure sentences.

"Finally, let's not forget our morning cheers. All together now!" Chatot gestured his wings like an orchestra conductor.

"A ONE, A TWO… A ONE-TWO-THREE!" Everyone cried out except for me and Priscilla.

"ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK!"

"TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY!"

"THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!

"Okay Pokemon! Let's get to work!" Chatot rallied.

"HOORAY!" Everyone cheered and dispersed, leaving me and Priscilla alone with Chatot and the still-sleeping Wigglytuff.

"Well, I guess we should look around a bit…" Priscilla took one step and Chatot called out.

"Hey, you shouldn't be wandering around here. You two come with me" Chatot said, then gestured with his wing for us to follow him. Chatot led us back to the floor with the twin boards and showed us the one on the left.

"This is the Job Bulletin Board, where Pokemon from all regions post jobs for explorers to do" Chatot explained "You're still beginners, so we can start you off with this assignment".

Chatot stared at the board, occasionally taking papers off the board to read them, then pinned them back. Finally, he took one and gave it to us.

"By the way, you're aware of all the bad Pokemon cropping up lately?" Chatot asked.

"Yup. It's because the flow of time is being messed up. At least that's what I heard from the rumors" Priscilla replied.

" _The flow of time is getting messed up?_ " I wondered in my head " _Time? As in hours and minutes? Do they mean something has gone wrong with time here? And because of that, more bad Pokemon are popping up?"_

"Precisely. Time going out of a whack has caused an outbreak of bad Pokemon. Perhaps that's why we have so many job offers these days…" Chatot said "In addition, there's also been a mass outbreak of… mystery dungeons"

"Ah right, mystery dungeons. Like the Beach Cave down by the beach?" I asked.

"That's only one of many" Priscilla said "Mystery dungeons offer different layouts every time you enter and if you faint in the middle of a dungeon, you can lose half your money and sometimes, half you items in your Treasure Bag. Afterwards, you're immediately kicked out"

"That doesn't sound good…" I said and Priscilla laughed.

"But the different layout gives you a different experience every time you go through and there's always new treasure to discover! They are really fantastic places to explore" The Eevee's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Well, you're quite informed, aren't you? That makes things much easier to explain" Chatot turned to the job bulletin "Jobs take place in mystery dungeons. The paper I just gave you is a job in Drenched Bluff south of us. Go ahead, read it"

Priscilla read the paper in her hand out loud.

"Hello! My name is Spoink. An outlaw has run off with my most prized possession: my precious pearl. The pearl is life itself… to me! I just can't seem to settle down if that pearl isn't in its proper place atop my head. But I heard my pearl's been spotted! I heard it's on a rocky bluff, but I heard said bluff to be extremely unsafe. I could never go somewhere so frightening alone! Oh, friendly readers, would you be so kind as to go get my pearl for me? I beg your help, exploration team members! Signed, Spoink"

"Wait a minute…" Priscilla said as she lowered the paper "We're supposed to go get something someone dropped?! I'd rather go look for treasure or explore unknown places. Something like that!"

"Hush!" Chatot snapped and Priscilla yelped, silencing herself.

"It's more important that you rookies pay your dues!" Chatot said "Now pay attention! I'm going to repeat the warnings so that they stick! One, you'll be forced out of a dungeon when…"

Chatot rambled off what Priscilla told me already and when he was done, he said "Well, if you understand, then get going! Drenched Bluff is south of Treasure Town, as I said"

"Alright. Let's get going Silvin" Priscilla and I left the guild and went towards Drenched Bluff, which was a rocky cave covered in damp rocks and moss.

"This must be the place" Priscilla said, checking the job paper over again "Spoink stated that the pearl is hidden in the bluff's B7F level"

I looked at her surprised "You told me back at Beach Cave that it was BF2 like "Bottom Floor 2". Now it's Bottom 7 Floor?"

"I guess people just word it differently" Priscilla shrugged "Anyways, Spoink said that the bluff is dangerous, so we should approach this carefully"

"Got it. Let's do our best" I nodded and we entered the dungeon. Drenched Bluff wasn't as dangerous as Spoink said. The Pokemon there were somewhat the same as Beach Cave and they were easy to beat because me and Priscilla made up a combo move together while we were walking to the bluff. Basically, I'll use Bite or Quick Attack on the enemy in front of me and if it doesn't faint them, Priscilla can follow up with her own Quick Attack, usually fainting the foe. The Treasure Bag we got made easier to hold Oran Berries, Apples, seeds and sometimes, we found bands and scarves lying on the ground, usually soggy and wet. Speaking of bands and scarves, I dug out the Sky Blue Bow from my bag and put it on my collarbone. I gave the Power Band to Priscilla and she draped it over her neck, the brown scarf flowing like a cape.

"Do you feel any different wearing that?" I asked Priscilla. The Sky Blue Bow really didn't make a noticeable difference for me. It felt just like a normal bowtie, except this one glowed.

"A bit. I feel physically stronger now" The Eevee replied "That's the point of it, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. It's just that this bow doesn't seem to do anything for me. I don't feel any different"

"Perhaps the boosts are more spread around as opposed to a single trait. Like it boosts your physical strength, speed and defense" Priscilla theorized "Which is why you don't notice it's effects at work"

"Well, no shame in keeping it on. Let's continue moving"

Descending down a few levels, we found a couple old gold coins (Poke, as Priscilla told me) and a few gray pebbles, which are called Geo Pebbles.

"Geo Pebbles and other throwable items like thorns and sticks can knock a Pokemon out, so use them if you don't feel like using a move" Priscilla advised. A Chingling floated towards us from a corridor on the right and I decided to test out the pebble in my hand. I threw it with all my might at the yellow bell Pokemon and it hit it square in the forehead. The Chingling was knocked to the ground, but it got up shortly after, looking more angry than hurt. The air around me felt more concentrated as the Chingling used Confusion, but I quickly rushed with Quick Attack and smacked it in the head with my fist, taking it down. Later, we found more seeds as we descended down the bluff. Priscilla told me that the two identical-looking seeds in my hands were a Violent Seed (on my left) and a Sleep Seed (on my right)

"Violent Seeds have a spicy flavor in it that makes your physical and special attacking prowess go through the roof" Priscilla explained "And the Sleep Seed… well I think you already know what it does"

"Yes, the Sleep Seed cures me of burns. Got it" I replied dryly.

On BF6, I found a brown bottle with a green cap and white sticker lying in the corner of a room.

"Oh, that's a Max Elixir" Priscilla pointed out "It's a medical drink that completely restores the PP of your moves"

"PP?" I was hoping Priscilla wasn't being immature.

"Power Points" Priscilla said and I breathed a sigh of relief "It's the amount of times you can perform a move. If you run out of PP and try to perform a move, you won't feel that rush of power and instead just launch a regular attack"

"I see" I pocketed the Max Elixir into my bag just as a Shellos creeped behind me.

"Silvin! Behind you!" Priscilla called and just as the Shellos lunged at me, I punched it away with my fist. I was about to attack with Quick Attack, but my legs felt weak and I couldn't move at the speed I needed for Quick Attack. The Shellos shot Mud Slap at me and I dodged while Priscilla finished it with her own Quick Attack.

"So that's what you meant by running out of PP on a move" I remarked as I dug out my elixir, but Priscilla stopped me.

"I counted the floors and we're on BF6. The next floor is where Spoink's pearl is, so I don't think you need the Max Elixir now" she said and I obeyed, slipping the drink back into my bag. A room later and we found a wet stone staircase. We went down, careful not to slip and found ourselves in a clearing, with shallow water next to us and a spring of water was gushing in the center. A sparkling pink pearl was glittering in the sand in front of the spring.

"That must be Spoink's pearl" Priscilla said as she discarded a Blast Seed to pick up the pearl. The moment the seed hit the ground, it exploded in a harsh bang, creating a crater in the ground.

"Yow! Be careful with that next time!" I said as I brushed the shrapnel off my shoulder.

"S-sorry" Priscilla apologized as she picked up the pearl and slipped it into her Treasure Bag. Using an Escape Orb we found in the bluff, we teleported out of the dungeon.

"T-thank you so much!" We gave Spoink's pearl back and he put it on his head, stopping the sporadic bouncing he was doing.

"The pearl must be propped on my head at all times, you see. I missed it so much!" Spoink said "I just couldn't settle down without it up there!"

"I'm glad that you're happy" Priscilla smiled "But why are you covered in scrapes and bruises?"

"Without my pearl, I bounce around sporadically like you saw earlier. I ended up bumping and crashing into a ton of things!" Spoink replied "But thanks to you, that nightmare is over! You have my most sincere thanks! Here is your reward"

Spoink bounced over to me and handed over three medical bottles similar to the Max Elixir along with a hefty 2000 Poke.

"Wow! 2000 Poke!? Are you sure we can keep so much?" Priscilla asked, shocked.

"Of course, of course! That's nothing compared to my pearl's value" Spoink said happily before making his way up the ladder somehow "Farewell!"

"We're rich Silvin! Only one job and we're rich!" Priscilla grinned, staring at the lump of coins in my hands.

"Well done Team Skylar" Chatot, who was standing nearby the whole time came over to me "Now hand over that gold if you please"

"Excuse me?!" Priscilla's expression of joy quickly turned to horror.

As Chatot took all the Poke from my hands, he said "Most of the money from jobs goes to the Guildmaster, you see. And the amount of Poke your team gets for this job is…"

Chatot picked 2 coins from the pile Spoink gave us and handed it to me "200 Poke"

Priscilla jumped in shock "What?! That's 10% of what we earned!"

"Well, that's the guild's rule. You have to get accustomed to it" Chatot chided.

Priscilla and I sighed in defeat as we headed down to the bedrooms to rest. Before we can push the door open however, a bell rang from the other side of the room. The guild's cook, Chimecho came out of the kitchen and announced that dinner was ready.

"I finished making dinner!" Chimecho called "Come on, dinner's on!"

"YEAH!" Everyone cheered and rushed to the mess hall. The mess hall was simply a long wooden table with a fountain for water and a large window showing the outside view. The meal was… nothing very special. Just various berries and apples.

"You know, I wish the primary food source was more than just berries and apples" I said, taking a bite out of a Cheri Berry.

"But after going through Drenched Bluff to get Spoink's pearl, I'm starving!" Priscilla said before chomping down her food like a ravenous beast. The sight was rather disgusting, but I couldn't blame her. After all, my stomach was growling like a beast too, so it wasn't long before I was eating as loud as everyone else. After dinner, people began to leave to go sleep while a few stayed back to chat with their friends.

"Aahhhh! I'm done eating. Good meal!" Loudred commented as he patted his belly.

"I'm stuffed and now I'm getting sleepy…" An apprentice said.

"Yep, I'm off to bed. Good night gang!" Another apprentice said as he hopped off the bench and left the mess hall.

"Good night!"

Soon after, me and Priscilla left to our rooms too. We talked for a while under the moonlight and before long, we were sleeping in our hay beds. I've started to get more used to the hay. It didn't itch my back or my head as much as the first night. I started to relax and close my eyes when Priscilla began talking to me.

"Say Silvin?"

"What is it Priscilla?"

"Today was pretty hectic with everything we went through, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess you can say that"

"But I'm glad our first job turned out so well"

I kept quiet as Priscilla continued "But I'm still really mad about how Wigglytuff's Guild took most of our money. That's just the cost of training I guess. We can't do anything about it"

"I wish they took less of our cash though. I don't think 200 is even enough to buy anything" I replied and Priscilla sighed sadly.

"Yeah, but what made me really happy today was being thanked by Spoink" The Eevee said "The joy on his face, the relief in his eyes and the happiness in his smile… I felt it right in my bones"

"You're quite the creative talker aren't you?" I commented and Priscilla laughed softly.

"Yeah, I'm a bit of a bookworm. Anyways…" The Eevee yawned "I'm getting sleepy now. Sleep tight Silvin…"

I layed in the dark, listening to Priscilla's light snores. I rested my arms beside me and dozed off as well.


	3. Chapter 2: Strange Visions

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 2: Strange Visions

"UP AND AT EM. IT'S MORNING!" Loudred shouted behind our door.

"Ugh… good morning… Silvin…" Priscilla's eyes blinked open and she yawned, getting up from her bed. Thankfully, we weren't late for morning briefing this time and recited the cheer with the rest of the guild.

"Alright Pokemon! Let's get to work!" Chatot called.

"HOORAY!" Everyone yelled back and they dispersed, either climbing up the ladder to the first floor or digging under the ground.

"Guess we should check the Notice Board for jobs" Priscilla went towards the ladder, but Chatot called on us.

"Oy, you two!" Chatot beckoned us towards him "Still wandering around lost, hm? Come with me"

Chatot took us to the first floor and went to his left instead of his right.

"Huh?" Priscilla stared at the board in front of us, then looked to the one on the right "Last time we did a job, we took it from that side…"

"Correct" Chatot said "Today, we'll have you do a job on this side"

"What's the difference?" I asked.

"Just look" Chatot turned to the board as me and Priscilla stared at it.

"Oh look Silvin! There's a bunch of posters of various Pokemon" Priscilla exclaimed, pointing at several Pokemon on the posters "Are they famous explorers? Who are they Chatot?"

"The Pokemon posted here… are outlaws" Chatot said with a heavy tone "They are all shady characters. They are wanted for any number of crimes"

"Criminals?!" Priscilla asked, surprised.

"Correct. All of them have bounties on their heads. Whoever brings them in will receive a reward for capturing them" Chatot explained.

"Wait a minute… so you're asking us to go capture these outlaws?" Priscilla was shaking and looked really scared. I put my hand on her shoulder to comfort her "We're just rookies! We can't handle full fledged outlaws!"

"Priscilla, Priscilla, just relax" I said "Take a deep breath…"

"He-he" Chatot giggled "Just joking!"

"What?!" Priscilla's horrified face turned into shock.

"All outlaws come in all shades of badness" Chatot said "Outlaws are ranked from E to 10*, with E being the easiest to subdue and 10* being the hardest"

Priscilla breathed a sigh of relief.

"So I'm sure we can find you an easy Pokemon to arrest" Chatot said in his usual cheery way "So look over the Pokemon and decide which one is weak enough for you to bring to justice!"

"You say they are weak but…" Priscilla began "But they are still bad Pokemon right? I… I'm scared of dangerous Pokemon"

"It'll be fine Priscilla. I'll be there with you" I said and Priscilla's gave me a heartwarming smile.

"Silvin's right Priscilla. You'll have companions to fight the outlaw with you" Chatot agreed "Besides, this is all part of your training. I'm sure you'll get used to it soon"

"Alright then, guess we should start picking" I walked up to the board, but Chatot wasn't done talking.

"Preparation is key for a successful mission, so I'll have someone give you a tour of the facilities around here and Treasure Town. They should help you out" Chatot said, then turned to his left "Hey, Bidoof! Bidoof!"

A energetic "Yup yup!" was heard from the floor below and Bidoof entered the room, panting.

"You called Chatot?" Bidoof asked between huffs and puffs.

"Bidoof, these are the new recruits that just joined us, Silvin and Priscilla. Take them and show them around Treasure Town" Chatot instructed.

"Yes sir! By golly, I'll do just that. Yup yup!" Bidoof exclaimed, nodding his head.

"Silvin, Priscilla, this is Bidoof, a fellow apprentice" Chatot introduced "I want you two to pay attention to what Bidoof says and follow his orders. Off you three go!"

As Chatot left, Bidoof swelled with pride "Aw shucks, I'm overjoyed!"

"Huh? Why's that?" Priscilla asked.

"I'm just glad to have members junior to me! I'm almost overcome right now…" Bidoof said, his eyes glittering with tears of joy "I might just blubber with happiness!"

"That's uhh… great?" I said, starting to feel uneasy about everyone except for Priscilla.

"Before you two signed on, I was the most recent rookie" Bidoof sniffled, then straightened up "Well, I'd best show you around. Follow me please"

Bidoof led us back down to the second floor and turned to the cauldron on the left.

"Here we have Croagunk" Bidoof said, introducing the Pokemon in front of the cauldron "But to tell the truth, I have no idea what that Pokemon's up to. He always seems to be fiddling about with that big cauldron. It's all a mystery to me! Yup yup!"

Bidoof took us over to the mess hall entrance "This is the mess hall, where the guild eats dinner"

"What about breakfast and lunch though?" Priscilla asked.

"Well uhm… the guild doesn't have breakfast and lunch… by golly" Bidoof said, his stomach growling "It's hard to get used to it yup, yup, but it's all part of training"

Priscilla sighed "Guess I'll have to buy me and Silvin breakfast then. Hopefully Kecleon's shop has enough apples"

"Anyways, down over there is the guild crew rooms" Bidoof pointed his head to the hallway on the right, then turned it to Wigglytuff's chambers "And that's the guildmaster chambers"

"Now I'll show you outside the guild" Bidoof led us out the guild and turned to the right path of the 4-way intersection, heading into Treasure Town. Many Pokemon bustled around, either preparing to head out to dungeons or shop at the stores. We headed to the center of town and Bidoof told us which store was which.

"Over there is Duskull Bank" Bidoof said, pointing his head to a black building designed after a Duskull. Two fake treasure chests were flowing with fake gold coins. A wall of large iron safes were behind the Duskull at the counter.

"You can store Poke in there before you go into a dungeon. Duskull will keep it safe until you withdraw" Bidoof explained.

"Oh and over there is Electivire's Linking" Priscilla turned to a yellow building on the top left of the town center "You can go to him if you want to link moves together or remember forgotten ones. But he doesn't seem to be here today…"

"Electivire mentioned having some business to take care of outside of Treasure Town" A Vigoroth said, startling me and Priscilla.

"Wah! Who are you?" Priscilla got over her shock and regained her composure.

"Sorry about that, miss. I'm Vigoroth. I'm a resident here in Treasure Town!" The Vigoroth introduced himself.

"What are you doing right now?" I asked.

Vigoroth spread his hands "I'm advertising the shops here! Down there…"

Vigoroth pointed to a shop down south-west that was shaped like a Chansey.

"That shop down there is Chansey Day Care! You might be rewarded Pokemon eggs upon completing a mission, so you can take them there to get raised" Vigoroth explained. Before me and Priscilla could comment, Vigoroth continued.

"Next to the daycare is Marowak Dojo! It recently closed down due to bankruptcy, but Marowak managed to reopen it. You can go in there to train your mind and body to be better prepared for real dungeons!" Vigoroth said.

"Thanks Vigoroth. We'll be going to the marketplace now" Priscilla thanked Vigoroth and we made our way left.

"In the center of the marketplace is Kecleon's Shop" Bidoof said, gesturing to a general store designed after a regular and pink-coloured Kecleon "Kecleon's Shop sells many things essential to an explorer. Apples, berries, gummis, orbs, TMs, they have it all"

"I feel that we'll be shopping there a lot" I commented.

"And over there…" Bidoof cocked his head to the facility beside Kecleon's Shop, a rock shaped like a Kangaskhan head "... that's Kangaskhan Storage. You can store items with her in case you run out of space in the treasure bag. All you need is to pay 1000 Poke a month for her service"

"Oh and down there is Xatu Appraisal" Priscilla pointed to a tent shaped like a Xatu head "Xatu Appraisal can open locked boxes that you can find in dungeons. But it doesn't look like he's here today"

"Xatu mentioned having to fly somewhere to replace his lockpicking tools" Bidoof explained "Where he flew to, I dunno, yup yup"

"Well, looks like that covers everything" I said, scanning the whole town to see if we missed anything.

"Yup yup. That's everything!" Bidoof said "Chatot asked me to pick out an outlaw for you two, so come back to the guild when you're ready!"

"Thanks Bidoof. You were a big help" Priscilla gave Bidoof a bright smile that made him blush.

"By golly, I'm so happy I could help! You… you two get ready soon. See you at the guild!" and Bidoof went back to the guild, tears in his eyes and a smile on his face.

"Well Silvin, I guess we should prepare. Let's visit Kecleon's Shop first" Priscilla led me to Kecleon's Shop. We used the money we earned from yesterday's mission to buy us breakfast along with a few utility seeds and berries.

"Thank you for your business. Come again!" The green Kecleon called. We were about to leave when an Azurill and Marill approached the stand.

"Hello Kecleon brothers" The Marill greeted.

"Good morning!" The Azurill greeted in turn.

"Ah, good morning to you too Azurill and Marill" The green Kecleon smiled "What can I interest you with today?"

"An apple and two Oran Berries please" Marill said.

The green Kecleon pulled out a fresh red apple from the crate behind him and gave it to Marill. The Marill paid with 120 Poke. As the brothers left, the Kecleons turned to us.

"Those two brothers are getting groceries for their sick mother in her place" The purple Kecleon explained "It's heartwarming to see children do such things"

"Oh Mr Kecleon!" Azurill's voice rang as the little blue Pokemon bounced back to the stand "You gave us an extra apple!"

"Ah, consider that a gift from us to your sick mother" The green Kecleon said "Please take it. We can't take back a gift we've given"

"Thank you Mr Kecleon!" Azurill squeaked and went on his way, but he tripped, dropping the extra apple in the process.

"Oof!" Azurill got up and I picked up the apple, preparing to hand it back to Azurill. But when my hand connected with the apple, I had a sudden feeling of nausea. The nausea persisted until my vision went black. Then, a loud voice cried out:

"HELP!"

As my vision returned to normal, I stared at Azurill with confusion. That voice… it sounded exactly like Azurill's. I must of been hallucinating.

"Hm? Sir, my apple please?" Azurill asked. I handed Azurill his apple without a word.

As Azurill bounded off, Priscilla looked at me with a smile.

"He's so cute, isn't he? Doing all this for his mother too!" Priscilla said.

I remained silent. What happened when I touched that apple? Why did I get the sudden nausea? And most of all, why did I hear Azurill yell "HELP!"? Priscilla caught my distraught look and took me away from Kecleon's Shop.

"Silvin, is something the matter?" Priscilla asked.

"It might sound a little weird, but hear me out" I said and then explained to the Eevee what happened when I touched Azurill's apple.

"You… experienced some sort of vision? And in that vision, you heard Azurill call for help? Is that it?" Priscilla stared at me, as if I dropped from space.

"Yeah and it happened just as I touched his apple. It's really weird" I said, fiddling with my fingers.

"Well… maybe you just had a hallucination" Priscilla looked uneasy "Did you have a good sleep last night?"

"No, it was fine" I said "You're right. I was probably just imagining things"

"Anyways, Bidoof's waiting for us at the guild. Wouldn't be good to leave him waiting"

"Yeah, let's hurry back to the guild"

Me and Priscilla went back to the center of Treasure Town where we found Azurill and Marill talking to a Drowzee.

"Yay!" Azurill cheered.

"Thank you so much Mr Drowzee!" Marill grinned.

"Oh no, it's nothing" Drowzee said modestly.

"What's going on here?" Priscilla asked as we approached the three.

"Mr Drowzee here offered to help us find an item we lost" Marill explained "Where did you see it Mr Drowzee?"

"Mt Bristle is where I last seen it. We can go there together if you'd like to find it" Drowzee offered.

"Yes! Thank you so much Mr Drowzee!" Marill and Azurill began to walk off with Drowzee, but the hypnosis Pokemon bumped into me as he was leaving.

"Oops, sorry about that!" Drowzee apologized before trailing behind Marill and Azurill towards the crossroads.

"It's good to see Pokemon helping out each other like this" Priscilla commented "With so many bad Pokemon popping up, things Azurill and Marill's lost item are going to happen more often and less Pokemon like Drowzee are going to help"

Priscilla looked at me oddly since I didn't respond. The nausea was coming back again. When I made contact with Drowzee's arm, the wave of nausea from before came back. My vision went dark and I found myself in a high rocky mountain with the peaks shaped like spears. Or bristles. Drowzee was in front of me and Azurill was looking up to him, fear clouding the little Pokemon's face.

"Now if you don't do as I say, there's going to be some very bad consequences" Drowzee said darkly.

"H- HELP!" Azurill screamed.

Then, the vision shut off. I blinked, momentarily stunned by what I just saw. Drowzee threatening Azurill on some sort of mountain peak. That meant that… Azurill was in danger!

"Hey Silvin. Silvin?" Priscilla snapped me out of my thoughts "You alright? You dazed out for a minute"

I told Priscilla what I just saw and her face shown more suspicion than shock.

"So you're saying that… Drowzee was a liar this whole time and took Azurill to a mountain peak to threaten him?" Priscilla summed up.

"Yes, that's what I saw. If that's true, then we have to save Azurill!" I urged, but Priscilla held me back.

"Silvin, we don't know if your vision was true or not. What's important now is to report back to Bidoof to select an outlaw to capture. I think you're just hallucinating…"

But I was absolutely sure that my vision was true, but Priscilla didn't believe me. I decided to just let it go for now and went back to Wigglytuff's Guild with her to meet up with Bidoof.

"Oh, you're back!" Bidoof called as we descended down the ladder into the guild's second floor.

"Yep, we're ready to go!" Priscilla said and Bidoof turned to the Outlaw Notice Board.

"Alright, let's choose a baddie to take down. Eenie miney mo…" Bidoof looked over the outlaw posters, but something caught Priscilla's eye.

"Wait!" Priscilla cried "Silvin, look at the poster on the top left"

I directed my eyes to where Priscilla was fearfully pointing and I went wide eyed with shock. The outlaw poster Priscilla noticed was a wanted post for Drowzee. The exact Drowzee that was with Azurill and Marill.

"That… that Drowzee… it's the same one who's helping Marill and Azurill!" Prsicilla stuttered "We have to rescue them. Come on Silvin!"

Me and Priscilla ran out of the guild while Bidoof shouted after us.

"By golly! Wait, where are you going?!"

Rushing down the stone steps to the crossroads, we found Marill on the path outside of town.

"Marill! Where's Azurill?!" Priscilla cried.

"I had to go check on my mom, so Azurill went off to Mt Bristle with Drowzee. The road there is too dangerous for me alone. I think Azurill is in danger" Marill said.

"Azurill IS in danger! Drowzee is a wanted Pokemon!" I cried and Marill's expression rapidly turned to horror.

"Drowzee's a wanted Pokemon?! You two rescue Azurill! I'm going to contact the police!" Marill ran back to Treasure Town as fast as he could while we headed towards Mt Bristle in the northeast. As the name implied, Mt Bristle was a mountain range with peaks like porcupine bristles.

"Drowzee and Azurill might be far into the dungeon already" Priscilla said "We have to hurry and rescue Azurill. Let's go Silvin!"

Upon entry to Mt Bristle, the mountain's cliffs and walls shifted like a mirage. The loud cries of Starly's echoed through the range.

"Starly… they are vicious bird Pokemon" Priscilla warned "We should stay clear of them if we could. Fighting them is too risky"

"Let's stay low and in the shadows" I said "We'll find Azurill and Drowzee faster if we ignore wild Pokemon run-ins"

"Right. Let's hurry" My Eevee partner urged.

Mt Bristle was much more harsh than Drenched Bluff by far. The Machop were super effective against Priscilla, so anytime we saw one, I stood in front of my Eevee partner to protect her. The Geodudes easily took my Quick Attacks and Priscilla's Normal type moves. After biting it in the head twice though, I took it down. The Doduos were annoying because everytime me or Priscilla hit them with our Quick Attacks, they immediately retreated by running away at top speed. I wanted to pursue them since they might come back to bother us, but Priscilla held me back.

"Let them go. Once we've shown them we aren't to be messed with, they won't dare attack us again" Priscilla explained "Just ignore them and move on"

The Spinarak were a nuisance because of their Poison Sting, but we packed a few Pecha Berries to cure the poison. Other than that, the Spinarak were no issue.

The Starly however were the scariest of them all. We found a lone Starly on Floor 5 and tried to sneak away, but it spotted us. It rushed with blazing speed towards Priscilla with Quick Attack and left a bloody beak-sized wound in her leg. Priscilla countered with a strong Tackle and knocked the Starly to the ground. The Starly struck back with a Tackle of its own and left Priscilla with heavy injuries. I quickly pulled Priscilla behind me and fetched her an Oran Berry from my bag. I stared down at the Starly and prepared to throw my fist. I lunged forward to attack, but the Starly took flight to dodge it, then dive bombed down with Quick Attack. I formed an X with my arms to block my chest and the Starly slammed right into it, his beak nearly piercing right through my arms.

"Hurrkk… graahhh!" I snarled in anger and slammed my foot into the Starly's chest, forcing it off my arms. As it was spiraling away, I slammed my fist as hard as I could into its head, fainting the Pokemon. I sat down wearily next to a dungeon wall and massaged my wrists in pain. There was a bloody gash the shape of a triangle marked on the backs of my hands.

"Here Silvin… take this" Priscilla dug an Oran Berry from her own bag and fed it to me. I didn't protest when she popped it into my mouth as if I was a toddler. As the strong blueberry taste washed down my throat, warmth spread over my body and the injury on my arms mended themselves. I got onto my feet and we continued onwards. Hiking up the upper floors, we did our best to avoid the Starly's. One of them was hard enough to fight. Two or more will just end up with us being kicked out of the dungeon or worse, death. A Starly duo noticed us sneaking by and I had to expend a Slumber Orb to force them asleep. Finally, we arrived at Mt Bristle Peak through Floor 9.

"Hmm… is it around here? Is this where you last saw it Mr Drowzee?" Azurill asked the hypnosis Pokemon.

"I'm sorry to say that I never saw the item before" Drowzee said, surprising Azurill "I only brought you here for one purpose"

Drowzee pointed to a small hole embedded into a mountain "That hole is rumored to contain a massive amount of treasure. But as you see, I'm too big to wiggle through. That's where you come in"

"Wait a minute… where's my brother?! Why didn't he here with us?!" Azurill cried panically.

"Looks like your brother never caught up with us. Don't worry though. You get that treasure and I'll send you home safe" Drowzee promised.

"I don't want to help a liar like you! I'm leaving!" Azurill dashed away from Drowzee, but Drowzee was faster and easily blocked Azurill's path.

"Don't move. If you don't do as I say, there's going to be very bad consequences" Drowzee threatened.

"H-HELP!" Azurill screamed.

"Drowzee! Stop right there!"

"Hm?" Drowzee turned towards the voice in confusion.

"We're Team Skylar and we've come to arrest you!" Priscilla declared valiantly.

"You're an exploration team? So you came to apprehend…" Drowzee began, but stopped when he noticed Priscilla shaking.

"Are you… trembling?" Drowzee looked like he was about to burst into laughter "Oh ho, I figured it out. You're an exploration team, but you're complete rookies!"

"Urk… we'll… we'll defeat you regardless!" Priscilla tried to put on a brave face, but I remembered Priscilla stating before that she was afraid of strong Pokemon.

"Heh heh, alright then" Drowzee smiled "That's right. I'm a wanted Pokemon with a bounty on my head. But can you two do it? Can you confront this outlaw and bring him to justice?"

"Eergg... " Priscilla stopped trembling and slammed her paw into the ground in anger "Yes! Yes we can! We'll never lose to a crook like you! Drowzee… prepare yourself!"

"Ha ha ha!" Drowzee laughed loud enough to echo throughout the entire mountain "I've been chased by many exploration teams in my day. Yet I've never seen a sorrier bunch than you two. Come on! Show me what you got!"

Priscilla taught me type advantages and disadvantages one night, so I knew exactly what move to use on Drowzee. I lunged at him with Bite, but he easily sidestepped it and I landed in the dirt. Drowzee threw his fist at Priscilla and it collided with her head, but the Eevee countered with a strong Tackle, knocking him back. As Drowzee skittered back, I slammed my teeth into his waist, drawing blood.

"Arrggg!" Drowzee tried to pry me off his body, but I wasn't letting go easily. I saw Priscilla pull out a Stun Seed and I closed my eyes as she threw it point-blank at Drowzee's face. As the flash paralyzed Drowzee, I chomped down again with Bite, my teeth sinking deeper into Drowzee's flesh. In a rage, Drowzee slammed me off his body and I managed to land on my feet. Priscilla dashed with Quick Attack to get close, but he instantly moved to the side to dodge even though he was stunned.

"I'm a Psychic type, fools! I can see the future!" Drowzee easily dodged my Bite attack, then pressed his fingers to his head, preparing a Confusion. The air around me grew more concentrated and my brain was hit with a mental shock. I was knocked to the ground by the impact, but managed to stand. While this was happening however, Priscilla leaped and slammed Drowzee to the ground with Tackle. I finished the battle with a swift Bite to Drowzee's head, knocking him out cold. The battle was done and Azurill was saved.

"Are you okay Azurill?" Priscilla asked the sniffling Pokemon.

"Yeah… I'm okay" Azurill said, wiping his tears "T-thank you so much for rescuing me"

"Your big brother's waiting back at Treasure Town. Let's go home" Priscilla said.

"We should bring Drowzee's body too" I mentioned "Marill said he's going to contact the Treasure Town Police, so they are coming here to arrest Drowzee"

"Sounds good. You want to drag Drowzee?"

"Uhm… can't both of us do it?"

"Well, I have to protect Azurill and myself on the way down. I have responsibilities too, you know" Priscilla said playfully.

I sighed "Fine, guess I'll do it"

Just as we arrived at the base of Mt Bristle, we were greeted by a Magenezone and two Magnemite.

"ZZZT Thank you very much ZZZT" Magnezone said in a robotic voice as we handed Drowzee over to the police "If you don't know, I'm Officer Magnezone, the deputy of these parts. Pleased to meet you. ZZZT!"

"Pleasure to meet you too" Priscilla greeted "Can you take care of Drowzee? We have to escort this Azurill back to Treasure Town"

"ZZZT. Of course!" Magnezone replied "As a matter of fact, a Marill reported to the police station that his brother, an Azurill has been kidnapped and taken to Mt Bristle. This must be the Azurill they are talking about"

"Yep, it's the very same" Priscilla said "Well, we'll be on our way. Thank you for your help"

"No, thank YOU for arresting this outlaw. Might I ask your names?" Magnezone asked.

"I'm Priscilla and he's Silvin" Priscilla said "We're an exploration team called Team Skylar"

"Team Skylar… are you a team from Wigglytuff's Guild? ZZZT!"

"Yes, we are"

"Thank you. We'll see you back at the guild with your reward" Magnezone ordered his Magnemite officers to lift Drowzee up and take him back to town. We followed them.

"Azurill!" Marill called when he saw us walk into Treasure Town.

"Marill!" Azurill ran from our side towards his brother "I… I was so scared up there…"

"It's okay Azurill. You're safe now" Marill faced us "I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for rescuing Azurill. You… you two are heroes"

"Well… one rescue and arrest doesn't warrant us the honor of being called a "hero"" I said modestly and Priscilla hit my arm lightly.

"He means that we're heroes to _them_ " Priscilla explained "You're so modest that sometimes, I wonder if you have self esteem"

"Hey now, let's not dwell on my emotional issues, or lack thereof" I said, hiding a smile.

"Anyways, we're happy you two are together again" Priscilla said to the two brothers "Please stay safe"

"Thank you!" Marill and Azurill called as we went back to the guild. We found Bidoof waiting at the entrance of the guild.

"S-sorry for suddenly running out on you Bidoof" Priscilla apologized "We just recognized the outlaw Drowzee in town and left to chase him"

"It's perfectly fine, yup yup" Bidoof didn't even look mad "I saw Officer Magnezone drag an unconscious Drowzee back to town, so it looks like you arrested him by golly!"

"Yeah and we managed to rescue a Treasure Town resident, Azurill too" Priscilla said proudly.

"Really? You pulled off a rescue mission too? Wow, you two are already professional explorers!" Bidoof praised "Oof. Already, the new recruits are better than me…"

"There, there Bidoof. I'm sure you still know more than us" Priscilla comforted.

"Oh no… I'm not upset or spiteful" Bidoof said, tears forming in his eyes "I'm… I'm just proud that people I taught are growing up, yup yup…"

"We should report to Chatot about our success" I said.

"Oh no, Magnezone already did it. He's coming to the guild later to give you the reward!" Bidoof confirmed.

"Well then, let's get some rest then. I'm exhausted" Priscilla said and we went into the guild. We walked back to our bedroom and took a much needed nap. We were later awoken by Chimecho's bell.

"Priscilla? Silvin?" Chimecho rang her bell from behind our door "Officer Magnezone wants to see you"

"Ah! Our reward! Thanks Chimecho" Me and Priscilla dashed up the ladder to the first floor and saw Magnezone waiting for us.

"ZZZT! Once again, thank you for capturing that outlaw Drowzee" Magnezone said "Here is your reward for the bounty's head: 3000 Poke, a Weather Band and a Protein"

"Thank you Officer" Priscilla accepted the items and cash, but Chatot came by and took 90% of our money, leaving us with only 300 Poke. Suddenly, Chimecho's bell rung, signally that it was time for dinner. We put aside the money issue and headed down to the mess hall.

After dinner, I laid in my hay bed, staring at the ceiling. I was happy we were able to rescue Azurill, but what were those visions I saw back in Treasure Town?

"Hey Silvin…" Priscilla said in her sleep "I just realized something"

"What is it?" I asked.

"Those visions you told me about… they were true"

She was right. I heard Azurill scream for help in the first vision and then saw Drowzee threatening Azurill in the second vision. Both turned out to be true.

"But I also realized that both those visions took place in the future" Priscilla murmured "So are you able to see events in the future?"

I wasn't sure, so I didn't respond, but Priscilla continued.

"Another thing I noticed is that you experienced both visions after touching something" Priscilla said "You had a nauseous and distraught look after you touched Azurill's apple and Drowzee's arm"

I marvelled at Priscilla institution. I would've never noticed these things if she didn't tell me.

"So from what I gathered… you're able to see future events if you touch something related to that event" Priscilla summed up "That… that'll be really useful for explorations"

"Yeah, I think it will" I was wondering more about if the ability was connected to my transformation into a Pokemon, but I supposed it worked for exploration purposes.

"Anyway… I'm tired now" Priscilla yawned "Goodnight Silvin"

"Goodnight Priscilla"


	4. Chapter 3: The Gatekeepers

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 3: The Gatekeepers

Me and Priscilla continued on our usual routine for the next two days. Wake up, accept jobs, eat breakfast, do said jobs, come back, eat dinner and sleep. That was the usual routine until one day, Chatot called us over for a "special job"

"Diglett, the usual sentry guard, is going to be out with his father today" Chatot informed us "So you're going to be taking over sentry duty in his place!"

"What?! We don't even know how to pull off sentry duty!" Priscilla protested.

"Loudred will be able to provide you with the instructions" Chatot smiled "Go on, don't slack off on work!"

We meet up with Loudred in the southern-left corner of the second floor. There was a hole in the ground with a wooden ladder leading down. There wasn't a single light in sight.

"So what are we supposed to do Loudred?" I asked as I looked down the dark hole.

"You're supposed to go under the sentry gate and identify the footprint of any Pokemon visiting the guild" Loudred explained, a little too loud for my ears to handle "You remember the sentry gate, right?!"

I flashbacked to the time me and Priscilla visited the guild for the first time. We had to stand on the wooden grate in the entrance for Diglett to identify me and Priscilla's footprints.

"Yeah, I remember it" I replied "So after we identify the footprint, we call the Pokemon back to you?"

"Exactly" Loudred said "Chatot will be at the guild's entrance, grading your accuracy and performance. So don't screw this up!"

"Alright then. Let's get to work then" me and Priscilla climbed down the ladder into the hole, feeling our way through the darkness.

"Oh! I see light over there Silvin!" Priscilla turned a corner and found a set of dirt stairs leading to a spot with bright sunshine beaming down.

"Hey! Did you get down there yet?!" Loudred yelled from the guild.

"Yeah! We're there!" Priscilla called back.

"Good! Chatot reported a Pokemon coming. Get ready!"

When the first Pokemon came over the grate, I was already stumped. Thankfully, Priscilla studied enough to know which footprint it was.

"Hmm… judging by the size of the footprint and the body shape of the Pokemon…" Priscilla turned back to the tunnel we came from "The Pokemon is Combusken! The Pokemon is Combusken!"

"Got it! Come in visitor!" Loudred called back. I heard Chatot's voice back in the guild and then Loudred's voice came back.

"Yep! Looks like you're right! Keep it up!"

The next Pokemon that came had a gigantic footprint. Based on the size of the print, it must've been a big or heavy Pokemon. I was surprised that the wooden grate didn't collapse under the pressure.

"I think that one is a… Torterra?" I pondered and Priscilla nodded.

"The Pokemon is Torterra! The Pokemon is Torterra!"

"Got it! Come in visitor!"

After a short delay, we heard Loudred's voice again.

"Hey! That wasn't a Torterra!"

"Wait what? It wasn't? Who was it then?!" Priscilla asked.

"It was a Rhydon! Try harder next time!"

"Oof. I guess we didn't think that through" I said, then looked up "Here comes the next Pokemon"

The next footprint was small, the shape being a simple circle. I glanced past the footprint and saw a ring of green leaves surrounding the Pokemon's beige coloured neck.

"The Pokemon is Bayleef! The Pokemon is Bayleef!" Priscilla called back.

"Alright, come in visitor!"

A couple seconds later, Loudred came back.

"Yep! Looks like you got it right!"

Me and Priscilla high-fived each other before the next Pokemon came up. The next three were a Dragonair, a Spinda and a Machoke. We unfortunately got the Dragonair wrong, mistaking it for a Arbok. After the Machoke came into the guild, Loudred called out to us.

"Diglett came back! You two can come out now!"

We climbed the ladder out from the sentry hole and found Chatot waiting for us with a Treasure Bag at his side.

"I graded your performance today. Let me give you the results" Chatot drew a piece of paper from behind his back "Your performance today was… good. Can be improved, but good. Here's your reward"

From Chatot's Treasure Bag, he produced 50 Poke, along with a Reviver Seed and Stun Seed. Reviver Seeds, as Priscilla told me, can revive a fainted Pokemon and bring them back into a fresh state. Explorers often have them on hand when they feel close to fainting. Once Chatot was finished, he told us to get back to work as usual. I glanced out the window when we passed by Wigglytuff's Guild. The sun was still high in the sky. It was only noon.

"We should go check for jobs on the notice boards" Priscilla said, already high on the ladder to the first floor "What are you looking at Silvin? Let's go"

We ended up taking two rescue missions at Mt Bristle, but before we could leave, Chimecho called out for us.

"Silvin! Priscilla! Wait a moment!" Chimecho rang her bell loudly to get our attention. We spotted Chimecho down by the window at the right corner of the first floor, hovering over a sort of stand. We came over to where she was and Chimecho began talking.

"I set up a new service here!" Chimecho announced.

Priscilla looked at Chimecho, puzzled "What new service?"

"I call it Chimecho Assembly!" Chimecho exclaimed "Did you ever want to have more members on your team to go into dungeons with?"

"More team members for Team Skylar? Sure, we'll be happy to have them!" Priscilla and I nodded in unison.

"Now with this service, you can!" Chimecho proclaimed "I can ring the "Bell of Friendship" to allow your team to recruit Pokemon!"

"Bell of Friendship? Really?" I slapped my forehead.

"Eh heh, it was a name Sunflora came up with" Chimecho smiled sheepishly "Anyway, let me ring the bell"

Chimecho shook from side to side, making a vibrant bell sound echo through the guild.

"And there you go! Your team is now able to recruit new members in dungeons!" Chimecho informed.

"Thank you very much Chimecho. We'll be heading off now" me and Priscilla said goodbye to Chimecho and headed towards Mt Bristle.

"According to the job report, we have to rescue a Chimchar at Floor 4 and a Tropius at Floor 6" Priscilla said "Let's get going Silvin"

We moved through the familiar mountain range, taking down any Pokemon that attacked us. After doing a couple rescue missions and outlaw captures, me and Priscilla have gotten a lot stronger. The Starly were hardly a threat anymore. On Floor 2, I noticed the steps to the next floor in the room next to us.

"Priscilla! The steps are over here!" I called and the Eevee followed me through the hallway. When I arrived in the room though, a Starly ambushed me by peaking me with Quick Attack. I flinched and stepped back, but the Starly continued it's assault with strong Tackles. I blocked the attacks with my arms, but the Starly's strength was impressive. It didn't leave any room for me to attack. I wanted to take that as an advantage. Just as the Starly went in for another dive, I released my guard and allowed the Starly to tackle me in the chest, it's peak puncturing through my flesh. That was exactly what I needed.

"Hurrkk…. rah!" I focused all the energy of Starly's attack into my hand and slammed it to the ground with Counter. The Starly tumbled to the ground hard and rolled away, clearly very hurt from the Counter attack. Before I could rush forward to finish it off, it held up it's wings in a "stop" motion.

"Wait! Can I just tell you something first?" the Starly asked.

The white aura of Quick Attack around my legs slowly faded as the Starly began to talk.

"As I was battling you, I noticed that you're very strong" the Starly said "And that tactic you used with Counter? Genius!"

"So uh… are you surrendering or should I knock you out?" I asked uneasily.

"Are you part of an exploration team?"

"Yeah. We're Team Skylar"

"Excellent!"

I stared at the Starly with wide eyes "Excellent what?"

"I want to join your exploration team! Can I join you? Please?" the Starly pleaded.

"Umm, yeah sure. Priscilla, this Starly wants to join our team" I said.

"Oh! That's great! What's your name?" Priscilla asked like she was talking to a little kid and she was the mother.

"I'm Henry! I hope I can be a good help to you guys!" Henry grinned.

"Nice to meet you Henry. I'm Silvin" I offered Henry my hand, but he flinched when he rose his gray wing.

"Youch! Looks like I haven't recovered from your attack yet" Henry let out a small laugh "You wouldn't happen to have any Oran Berries on you, right?"

Priscilla fished an Oran Berry out from her bag and handed it to Henry. The Starly chomped it down in seconds.

"Ah! Feels good to spread my wings" Henry stood up and flapped his wings a little "Now then, to return the handshake"

Henry shook hands with me. Well, it was more like a hand to wing shake, but that was the general idea. Afterwards, Priscilla introduced herself.

"I'm Priscilla, co-leader of Team Skylar. Welcome to the team!" Priscilla shook paw to wing with Henry.

"Thanks you two! Just tell me what to do and I'll get going right away!" Henry said enthusiastically.

"Just follow us for now. If any Pokemon attack us, I want you to fight and knock them out" I said.

"Alright! That's easy enough!"

Priscilla laughed "Hotheaded aren't you? It's going to be fun with you on our team"

We ascended the floors of Mt Bristle, rescuing the Chimchar on Floor 4 and the Tropius on Floor 6. Henry proved to be very strong, stronger than me and Priscilla by a long shot. He was very fast too, easily darting around the enemy and diving down with swooping attacks. Sadly, the bird couldn't take a hit very easily, but advantages had to be offset by disadvantages. On Floor 6, I took off my rescue badge and showed it to Tropius. A yellow aura formed around the Pokemon feet and he teleported out of the dungeon.

"Looks like that's it" Priscilla said, pulling a Escape Orb out from her bag "Shall we go?"

"Yeah, let's head back to the guild" I said and Priscilla rose the Escape Orb into the air. The crystal orb glowed with astral blue light and a large circle of blue aura enveloped me, Priscilla and Henry, teleporting out of the dungeon. We met up with our clients back in guild, where they thanked us for saving them and bestowed rewards. We got a total of 700 Poke (after Chatot robbed 90% of it), a Special Band, two Oran Berries and a strange looking orange ribbon.

"That's the Sun Ribbon" the Tropius told us "I just had it lying around my house and I didn't know what to do with it. You can take it. Maybe you two can find out what it does"

After Tropius and Chimchar left, I glanced out the window on the first floor. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon and dinner was about to be served.

"There's not enough room for Henry in the guild bedrooms" Priscilla thought aloud "So where can he stay?"

"I noticed some camp supplies at Kecleon's Shop back in Treasure Town" I commented "We could set up a tent or some sort of post for Henry to stay in"

"Or perhaps we can set up a base in a nearby area" Priscilla pulled her Treasure Map from her bag and spread it over the ground "We should set up our base in an easy-to-reach area, like Tiny Meadow or Lush Prairie in the east"

"Hey guys, maybe we can do this when we get more team members" Henry interrupted "All I need to rest at night is a post for me to roost on. We can think of setting up a team base later"

"Eh heh. Yeah, you're right" Priscilla rolled up her map "Sorry, I got carried away there"

"No problem! Let's just head down to Kecleon's Shop before dinner time starts!" we dashed out of the guild and towards Treasure Town, where we stored the items we picked up in Mt Bristle in Kangaskhan Storage. Then, we bought a wooden post from Kecleon's Shop for Henry to roost on. We also purchased a basic red tent in case Henry got cold. The supplies cost us a heavy amount considering our balance, but we had a ton of Oran Berries in storage, so hunger wasn't an issue. After we got the post and tent, we set it up on the outskirts of Treasure Town, right atop Sharpedo Bluff.

"Time for me to go hunt for dinner!" Henry licked his beak "See you two in the morning!"

"Be careful and stay safe!" Priscilla called and Henry flew away from Treasure Town. After I nailed the last peg of the tent, me and Priscilla headed back to the guild, just in time for dinner. Later in the night, when me and Priscilla were preparing to sleep, Priscilla began to talk.

"Whew, what a day it's been" Priscilla commented as she smoothed her hay bed "Our first job as sentry guards and our first recruitment. All of it was so exciting!"

"Yeah, having another member on the team is nice" I said "Especially someone as hot headed and enthusiastic as Henry"

"It's good to have another person to watch out back" Priscilla agreed, then looked out the window "I hope he's safe right now…"

"Don't worry. Henry's a very strong Pokemon. I doubt many Pokemon can take him down easily" I reassured.

Priscilla laughed "You're right. Henry's fine. Let's get to sleep Silvin"

"Goodnight Priscilla"

"Goodnight Silvin. Sweet dreams"


	5. Chapter 4: Waterfall of Illusion

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 4: Waterfall of Illusion

Sentry duty ended up being merged with our regular schedule. Wake up, accept rescue or outlaw missions, do those missions, come back, eat dinner and sleep. But on some occasions, Diglett was out of the guild with his father, so we had to take over sentry duty for him. We eventually got better at identifying footprints and even got a perfect score, earning us 2000 Poke, a Protein and a Ginseng. The best part was that Chatot didn't take 90% of our cash from running sentry duty, so the 2000 Poke was all ours. But Chatot once again gives us a surprise when he calls us over after morning briefing.

"I'd like to give you two a special mission today" Chatot said.

"Oh boy, what is it?" Priscilla's ears perked up at the mention of a special mission.

"Our scouting team has located a waterfall a little up north nearby Serenity River" Chatot informed "Here's the catch: it looks to be a regular waterfall, but certain information clues to it having a secret"

"Oh I see. So we're supposed to head over and investigate this waterfall" Priscilla assumed.

"Exactly. If you discover anything, come back and report it to me. That's your assignment for today" Chatot said "Get going once you two are ready"

So we left the guild, stocked up on supplies at Kecleon's Shop and visited Henry's post before leaving. Henry was sleeping on his pole, snoring contently.

"Henry? Are you awake?" Priscilla gently poked Henry's chest with her paw and the bird snapped awake, loudly chirping.

"Wha! Who…" Henry rested his eyes on Priscilla and me below him "Oh, good morning Silvin and Priscilla!"

"Good morning Henry. We're heading out on a mission today. Want to tag along?" Priscilla asked.

"Yeah sure" Henry yawned and stretched his wings "Where are we heading?"

"We're going a little northeast to a waterfall nearby Serenity River" I told Henry "We're supposed to investigate the waterfall for any secrets"

"Sounds interesting. We're going now?"

"Yeah we are"

"Alright then. Lead the way" Henry hopped off his pole "By the way, you got any food? I didn't eat breakfast"

I dug an apple from my bag and gave it to Henry, who began crunching on it contently. Priscilla opened up her Wonder Map and pointed to the waterfall nearby.

"This is our destination" Priscilla said "Shall we go?"

"Yep, lead the way!" I said.

We travelled northeast until we found ourselves at the rushing Serenity River and a waterfall nearby. A set of stone stairs lead up to a platform next to the waterfall itself.

"So… where should we start looking?" Priscilla stared intently at the rushing rapids of the waterfall.

"I'll go into the air and see if I can find anything" Henry offered.

"Yeah, you do that" I gazed at the cliff atop the waterfall "We'll shout if we need you"

"Alright then. See you!" and Henry shot into the sky.

"Hmm…" Priscilla approached the waterfall and extended her paw into the water "Youch!"

"Priscilla! Are you okay?" I rushed to her side, but she seemed okay.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine" Priscilla massaged her paw and stared at the waterfall "It's really coming down hard"

"Yeah, it is…" I reached into the gushing water with my hand, then immediately pulled back "Oof!"

"Yeah, the falls hurt" Priscilla gave a small smile, then looked around "What do you think could be off with this place? It just looks like a regular waterfall"

I was about to reply, but a familiar nauseous feeling invaded my body again. The same feeling I felt when I experienced the visions of Azurill and Drowzee. Suddenly, my vision went black and I saw a Pokemon cloaked in darkness waddle away from the stone platform, as if preparing to jump. The Pokemon ran at full speed and charged into the waterfall, landing in a cavern covered in mossy rocks. Then, the vision shut off. I shook my head to shake off the nausea. I was about to wonder what the vision shown me when Priscilla's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"There doesn't seem to be any… Hey Silvin!" Priscilla waved her hand in front of my face "You got a distraught look on your face again. Something happen?"

I told her that I experienced another vision and in that vision, I saw a Pokemon leap into the waterfall and land on a cavern on the other side.

"You saw a Pokemon leap through the waterfall and land on the other side?!" Priscilla repeated, eyes wide.

"Yes and if the vision is right, the secret of this waterfall is beyond the waterfall!" I proclaimed.

"But what if you vision is wrong?" Priscilla didn't look convinced "If we leap through the waterfall and there's a solid wall behind it… we'll be smashed to pieces!"

"Come on Priscilla. It's the only clue we got" I urged and Priscilla sighed.

"Alright… we can try" Priscilla's voice was quiet, then rose "Yes, we'll try it! I trust you Silvin, so let's do it!"

"Hey Henry! Come back down!" I shouted into the sky and the Starly flew back to the platform.

"Something up Silvin?"

"We're going to attempt to jump through the waterfall" I explained and Henry gasped. Before he could protest, I continued.

"I just had a vision that a Pokemon leaped through this waterfall and ended up in a cavern on the other side. That means the secret of this waterfall is beyond the waterfall!" I declared, pointing at the rushing water.

"But Silvin… what if the vision is wrong?" Henry asked.

"Trust me, Silvin's visions proved to be true twice" Priscilla commented "His visions shown an Azurill crying for help and a Drowzee threatening that same Azurill. In the future!"

Henry couldn't argue against it, so he sighed.

"Alright then, let's do it. It's all or nothing, right?"

"Okay, you two. We have to run at top speed to bypass the falls and land on the cavern edge" I instructed as I backed up on the platform "If you jump too early or too weakly, you'll be bombarded by the waterfall and most likely killed, so do it with your full strength!"

All three of us backed up on the platform and got ready to leap.

"Three… two… one… JUMP!" we dashed as fast as we could and jumped at the platform's edge. We barreled through the icy cold water and landed hard on a stone floor. I got up and shook the water out from my body, then looked around. Two pools of water were next to us, with mossy rocks surrounding it along with covering the floor we stood on. The vision I saw was true!

"Your vision was right Silvin!" Priscilla gave me a big smile "There really is a secret cave behind the waterfall!"

"I didn't actually think you were right Silvin" Henry shook the water off his body "But now, I think I'm starting to really like you. Lead us to the treasure, leader!"

"Alright, you two! Follow me!" and we entered the Waterfall Cave.

Three words to describe Waterfall Cave: dark, damp and creepy. I was thankful Priscilla remembered to bring dry sticks and rocks to create torches. But the fiery light did little to dispel the damp aura and the eerie lack of sound. Aside from that, Waterfall Cave was host to a lot of Water type Pokemon, similar to Beach Cave and Drenched Bluff. An Wooper jumped out at us from a corner, startling all of us. I was so surprised that I couldn't initiate an attack, so the Wooper shot first. It launched a spray of water at us, dousing my torch.

"Thanks buddy" I growled before rearing back my fist to punch the Wooper's lights out. I slugged forward with my regular attack, but the Wooper jumped to dodge it and landed on my back. I was about to try and swat it off, but Priscilla slammed into me with Tackle and fainted the Wooper.

"Oww! You didn't need to bash into me Priscilla!" I scowled at the smirking Eevee.

"I didn't want to see you flailing around screaming "Get it off me!", so I solved the problem for you. You're welcome" Priscilla gave me a sly smile.

I sighed "I need another dry stick and stone. My torch got doused"

We continued through the cavern, unaware of how many floors we had to travel before reaching the end. On occasion, we found apples and berries lying on the ground, but they were soggy and wet from the damp conditions. We also picked up a couple orbs and some sort of candy called Gummi.

"Gummis are high-end Pokemon treats" Priscilla explained "The colour of the gummi indicates the type of Pokemon who like it the most"

I stared at the sky blue gummi in my hand, then I heard Henry behind me.

"Phew! That Whiscash was a handful to take care of…" Henry wiped the sweat off his brow, then noticed the Sky Gummi in my palm "Can… can I have that?"

"Henry, your mouth is dripping"

It was true. Henry's beak was literally drooling at the sight of the Sky Gummi. I guess they really were that good.

"I'm guessing that this gummi is favored by Flying types" I said to Priscilla next to me.

"Judging by the way Henry is drooling right now, I guess so" Priscilla nudged my arm "Give it to him before he floods the place"

I handed Henry the Sky Gummi and he popped it into his beak immediately, chewing on it contently.

"Hoo, haven't had one of those in a while!" Henry spread his wings and chirped happily "Now come on! I can feel the treasure nearby!"

We continued onwards, heading up the 5th, 6th and 7th floor until we reached the end. The hallway lead into a clearing with millions of jewels and precious stones studded into the rock.

"Whoa! Look at all this treasure!" Priscilla went around the clearing, examining every sparkling gem she could see "We could be rich if we brought all of this back to the guild!"

"Wow! Look at that one!" Henry seemed to be just as excited as Priscilla was when he pointed to a large pink jewel on the wall. The gem was bigger than all the others here.

"Ooh, let's try to take that!" Priscilla and Henry rushed over and attempted to pry the jewel from the wall, but it didn't budge.

"Hhurrkk… gahhh!" Priscilla grunted as she tried to pull the gem from its place in the wall, but it barely moved.

"Hey Silvin! Can you try to pull this out?" Henry called and I came over. The two stood aside as I positioned my hands over the large jewel. I pulled with all my might, but it didn't move an inch.

"Holy… this thing's… not… moving!" I grunted as I continued pulling, but to no avail.

"Let me try again" I got off the jewel and let Priscilla take over. But once my hands left the gem, I got another feeling of nausea. The visions were coming back. The nausea persisted until my sight went black and I saw the same shadowy Pokemon attempting to pry out the gem. He lurched forward, pushing the gem into the wall and a button click echoed through the clearing. Suddenly, the cave shook and an intense wave of water rushed out from the Pokemon's right, carrying it out of the cave and away from the gems. Then the vision shut off. I blinked, then realize that Priscilla was about to push again the gem to try and loosen it out.

"Priscilla wait…" but I was too late. The eerie button click was sounded and the entire cave shook.

"Whoa, whoa! What's going on?" Priscilla cried, shocked.

"Wave! A huge water wave!" Henry shouted as a huge blast of water rocketed from our right, carrying us out of the cavern. The water blasted us out of the Waterfall Cave like a geyser and over the high trees. I braced for impact and then…

 _Splash_

"Hey! Wake up! Are you three okay?!"

I opened my eyes to a Primeape looking over me "Oh good! You're okay!"

I looked around and saw Priscilla and Henry still unconscious. Me and the Primeape roused them awake too.

"W-where are we?" Priscilla murmured as she woke up.

"You're in the Hot Springs, youngster" an old-looking Torkoal said above us "You are welcome to use this to refresh your body and mind"

"T-thank you. But I'm sorry to have dropped in umm… uninvited" Priscilla apologized.

"You gave us quite a shock!" a Mankey chimed in "But I'm glad you three are okay"

"Tell me, where did you three come from? How did you land here from the sky?" Torkoal asked.

Priscilla told Torkoal the whole story and he gasped in shock.

"All the way from the waterfall nearby Serenity River? Oh my, you must be so tired!" Torkoal said, concerned "You are welcome to stay here a while to rest up"

"Thank you very much Torkoal" Priscilla nodded in thanks. We relaxed in the hot springs for a while until we decided to head back to Treasure Town. We bid our goodbyes to Torkoal and headed off. We arrived back at the guild at sunset.

"You're telling me that there's a secret cave behind the waterfall and a treasure trove of jewels at the end?" Chatot repeated what Priscilla said with an excited tone.

"Yeah, but we weren't able to recover any of the treasure…" Priscilla replied sadly, but Chatot didn't care about that.

"Are you kidding? The discovery of the cave is huge!" Chatot said.

"Huh? It is?" Priscilla lifted her head.

"Yes! This is a huge discovery! I have to tell the Guildmaster!" Chatot was about to go into Wigglytuff's chambers when I called out.

"Wait"

Chatot turned.

"Just a word Chatot. I just remembered something" I recalled the vision of when I saw the shadowy Pokemon leap into the waterfall and when it attempted to pry the pink jewel. The body shape of the Pokemon looked so familiar. The shape of the ears, body and feet all pointed to…

"I think Guildmaster Wigglytuff visited the Waterfall Cave before!" I claimed and both Chatot and Priscilla gasped.

"But why would the Guildmaster send you out to investigate the waterfall if he already explored it?" Chatot asked.

"Maybe he forgot? You know Wigglytuff better than us" Priscilla commented.

Chatot sighed "I'll ask the Guildmaster if he explored the cave before. Be right back"

A minute later, Chatot returned, looking disappointed.

"What happened?" I asked.

"When I asked him if he explored the waterfall before he said…" Chatot cleared his throat ""Oh memories! Sweet memories! YOOM-TAH!""

"And then he danced around a bit, then said…" Chatot continued ""Yes, yes, if I think about, I believe I've been there once already""

"So he… explored the waterfall already…" Priscilla slumped in defeat.

"It's just as Silvin suspected. The Guildmaster has already been to Waterfall Cave" Chatot sighed "And here I hoped that you two found out a new area to explore"

"S-sorry Chatot"

"No, no, it isn't your fault. Anyways, dinner is about to start. You should get to the mess hall"

After dinner, me and Priscilla went to our bedroom. As usual, she talked to me before we fell asleep.

"I was really disappointed that we didn't find out a new area today" Priscilla said "But you know… I had a lot of fun exploring the Waterfall Cave"

"Really? How so?" I asked.

"The thrill of finding a new area and being the first person to explore it. It just really made me excited" Priscilla explained "I was shaking from excitement the whole time!"

"Yeah, it was a fun experience" I smiled.

"But I have to confess Silvin, the strongest moment of this exploration was when we leapt through that waterfall" Priscilla touched my arm, getting in a little close "To be honest, I feel really brave and courageous whenever you're around. You gave me the courage to jump through that waterfall"

I blushed "You wouldn't believe me if I didn't have that effect on you?"

Priscilla giggled "Probably not"

I quickly hugged Priscilla, which made her blush bright red "Then let's stick together then. I can always use your vast array of knowledge"

"Yes… let's stay together" Priscilla couldn't hide her joy, but I did her a favor and didn't stare. I adjusted my hay bed and laid down to sleep. My eyes began to close when I heard Chatot's voice through our door.

"Hey, you two! The Guildmaster wants to see you!" Chatot called.

"I wonder what he wants" me and Priscilla got out of bed and headed to Wigglytuff's chambers.

"Guildmaster Wigglytuff, I brought Team Skylar here, as you requested" Chatot said.

Wigglytuff didn't even turn towards us.

"Guildmaster? Guildmaster…?" Chatot grew uneasy, then Wigglytuff's turned suddenly.

"Hiya!"

"I hate it when he does that" Priscilla muttered.

"Your team went through a lot today! Yes, a lot-lot!" Wigglytuff said "But don't worry! I'm keeping a watch on your activities"

Both of us remained silent.

"I should tell you why I called you here" Wigglytuff began "We're planning to mount a full expedition soon!"

Priscilla stared at Wigglytuff, confused "An expedition?"

"Yes! A guild expedition is when the guild travels very far away" Chatot explained "It's much harder than exploring our nearby area"

"That's why we need to prepare for the big trip properly" Chatot continued "We're carefully choosing who gets to go on the expedition"

"Oh, that's interesting" Priscilla commented.

"We usually never, ever consider rookies to be expedition members" Wigglytuff said "But you two are working so very hard, so we're making a special exception this time!"

"We decided to include you in the list of candidates for the expedition" Chatot finished.

"Wow really?" Priscilla's eyes lit up.

"Now now, don't get your hopes high yet" Chatot chided "You aren't chosen as expedition members yet. There are a few days before the expedition after all"

"If you fail to do good work before we choose expedition members…" Chatot warned "... Don't expect to be selected for the expedition"

"You two work hard for the next few days and I'm sure you'll be picked" Wigglytuff encouraged "Try hard you two!"

"We promise!"

After the conversation with Wigglytuff and Chatot, we ended up back in our bedrooms.

"An expedition! Isn't it exciting Silvin?" Priscilla asked, her tone filled with joy.

"I wonder where we're going to go" I replied, fidgeting with the hay on my bed "The guild expeditions go "really far away", so we're definitely leaving this region"

"I don't know, but I'm so excited about it!" Priscilla smiled "Let's do hard work and get selected for the expedition alright?"

"You know I wouldn't let you down"

"I know. Goodnight Silvin"

"Goodnight Priscilla"


	6. Chapter 5: Stench of Deception

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 5: Stench of Deception

"UP AND AT EM! IT'S MORNING!" Loured shouted as usual. Even behind a solid wooden door, my ears were still ringing from Loured's wake up call. Priscilla got up and wiped her eyes, yawning.

"Good morning Silvin…" the Eevee said sleepily.

"After all these weeks, I'm surprised you're still sleepy after Loudred's alarm" I smiled as I tapped Priscilla's shoulder to rouse her. The Eevee eventually shook her drowsiness away and joined me to go to morning briefing.

"Ahem, so as I was saying, there is a lake far to the east" Chatot was winding down the conversation, detailing about the upcoming expedition "There are many aspects of the lake that remain mysterious"

"Aspects like…?" Priscilla wondered aloud.

"And so, we hope to unravel those mysteries" Chatot ignored Priscilla's question and continued "Which is why we're mounting an expedition for the first time in a while"

"An expedition you say? Yes, please! Yes sirree!" Bidoof exclaimed excitedly.

"It's been a long time since we've been on an expedition!" Sunflora bounced.

"But that means you'll be picking members for the expedition from ALL of us again, right?" Loudred piped up.

"Precisely" Chatot silenced the team with a sharp shush "We'll be departing in a few days and during the time, me and Guildmaster Wigglytuff will be observing your process. If you do well in your work, we may consider you to join the expedition team"

"Let's work hard to get into the expedition everybody!" Sunflora cheered and everyone cheered alongside her.

"Alright everyone! It's back to work as usual!" Chatot called out.

"HOORAY!" everyone cheered and dispersed, me and Priscilla heading towards the 1st floor to check the notice board. When we made our way up however, a pair of Pokemon were already at the rescue job board.

Priscilla suddenly tensed, stopping in her tracks "Silvin… those two Pokemon…"

I followed her gaze and stepped back. The pair were a Koffing and Zubat, the exact Pokemon who robbed Priscilla of her Relic Fragment back at Beach Cave.

"We'll step away quietly and not draw attention to ourselves" I whispered as me and Priscilla slowly backed away, heading towards the outlaw board "What are those two doing here?"

"I don't know. They might be in a exploration team but…" Priscilla trailed off, clearly not knowing what the two rogues were here for. Before we could get away though, the pair turned and noticed us.

"Hey!" Zubat called, beckoning us forward.

"You two?" Koffing grinned as we walked forward slowly.

"What are you two crooks doing here?" Priscilla demanded, fury clear in her eyes.

"Whoa-ho-ho I'll have you know that we're an exploration team too!" Koffing cackled.

"Heh-heh-heh what's so funny about an exploration team checking out a notice board huh?" Zubat cackled alongside his partner.

"What?! You're… you're an exploration team?!" Priscilla was taken aback by the revelation. These two thieves couldn't possibly be a exploration team, helping out people or taking down outlaws. They were the sort of people that would _end up_ on the outlaw board.

"Of course. Although, we don't always operate… by the book" Koffing had a sinister grin on his face "But what a surprise! What are you doing here?"

"Well, I'll have you know we're an exploration team too!" Priscilla proclaimed "That's why we're training at the guild"

Both Koffing and Zubat stared at Priscilla and me in shock.

"Whaaattt?!"

"You two want to become real-deal exploration team?!"

The two Pokemon looked at each other for a second, then seized Priscilla by the arm.

"You! Come with us for a second" Koffing pushed Priscilla forward, taking her to the notice board. They shoved her towards a wooden sign so I wouldn't hear them. Their voices were so loud that I heard them anyways.

"Now don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way" Koffing began "But you should just forget about being on an exploration team!"

"What? Why?!" Priscilla looked flabbergasted.

"Well, you're timid for one thing. You scare easily" Zubat replied "A scaredy cat like you can't cut it on an exploration team"

"Clearly you haven't been watching me then" Priscilla countered, anger flaring in her eyes "Who are you to call me timid?"

"Please tell us what you did to break out of your old self!" Koffing said sarcastically.

"I'm undergoing guild training obviously, if you couldn't tell" Priscilla explained "Even now, me and Silvin are working hard to be picked for the guild expedition"

I almost wanted to slap my hand over Priscilla's mouth.

"Oh, an expedition you say?" Koffing got a dark smile on his face.

Priscilla arched her eyebrows "What are you two thinking now?"

"Oh nothing. Effort only gets you so far you know" Zubat commented "You won't get picked for the expedition team party if you don't have talent, right?"

"Are you saying that I have no talent?!" Priscilla was fuming "You talk about talent, but what do you have? You two were so weak that WE beat you!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! Well, we didn't have the Chief with us" Koffing didn't seem fazed by Priscilla's sharp words.

"Chief?" Priscilla's anger was replaced by curiosity.

"Heh-heh. That's right" Zubat grinned "Team Skull, our exploration team has three members"

"Our Chief is incredibly talented" Koffing commented.

"To put it bluntly, he's brutally tough" Zubat continued "Heh-heh, if the Chief were around, we'd snap you like a twig"

"You…. you…" Priscilla balled her fists "Are you threatening me with death?!"

"Oh no, we wouldn't" Koffing said innocently, then perked up "Ah ha! Speaking of the Chief, I can smell him now!"

"Smell?" me and Priscilla turned to the ladder leading from the entrance.

"Here comes the Chief!" Zubat announced. A Skuntank climbed down the ladder, getting right into my face.

"Move! Out of the way!" the Skuntank headbutted me hard in the chest, slamming me into the ground. Not only that, but a large cloud of gas enveloped me, with a stench better not explained. I fought to not inhale the gas. Even then, I felt my entire bloodstream getting contaminated with poison.

"Ugh! What's that… awful stench!" Priscilla covered her nose and tried to swat away the cloud of gas. The gas cloud moved towards the others on the first floor, with Sunflora crying out that it smelled like rotten cheese.

"That's foul, yes sirree!" Bidoof's eyes were watering.

"Hey, hey! My eyes are burning!" Corphish's eyes were red and puffy as he desperately tried to wipe it away. While that was happening, Skuntank advanced on Priscilla.

"Move it! Or do you want to end up like that wimp over there?!" Skuntank threatened.

"Mercy please, mercy…" Priscilla said quietly as she stepped aside, coming to my aid.

"Chief!" Koffing cheered.

"You showed them Chief! You're the best!" Zubat cheered alongside Koffing.

"Yeah, yeah whatever" Skuntank brushed off the praise like it was nothing "So, you two, did you sniff out any jobs that'll bring in the cash?"

"The Job Bulletin Board only posted cheap jobs but…" Koffing began and Zubat continued.

"There's something else Chief. It's got the potential to be something big…" Zubat leaned in to whisper into Skuntank's ear. I was too weakened to try and listen. After Zubat pulled away, Skuntank bristled.

"What? An expedition from this guild?" Skuntank repeated Zubat's message "That DOES sound tasty"

"Doesn't it?" Koffing smiled.

"Let's get out of here. We need to do some plotting" Skuntank commanded "Come on, let's go"

"Yeah!" Koffing and Zubat both said in unison, following their leader out of the guild. Once they were gone, Priscilla helped me up. I coughed and sputtered while wiping my eyes. I felt like I've inhaled twenty Poison Gases at once while splashing my eyes with lemon juice.

"Are you okay Silvin?" Priscilla asked gently.

"I'm uhh…" it was a struggle to even speak "Y-yeah, I'm… I'm okay"

"Thank goodness. At least you weren't injured" Priscilla breathed a sigh of relief "Although you still stink"

"Wow, thanks for reminding me" I replied sarcastically "I'm going to need to visit Serenity River for a bath it seems"

"There's a small lake on the trail outside of Treasure Town. You can bathe there if you like" Priscilla offered "Don't worry, I'll guard the entrance for you"

"Yeah, I'll do that later" I nodded "That whole scene was really rough"

"I'm so sorry Silvin" Priscilla apologized "I couldn't work up the courage to challenge him in the face, even after he attacked you. I'm… I'm such a coward…"

"Priscilla, you did what you did to keep yourself safe" I said, putting my hand on her shoulder "I'd rather have you be safe than risk your life to fight Team Skull"

"Still, if I can't work up the courage to fight, how can I be an explorer?" Priscilla asked "A chicken like me has no place in a exploration team"

"Don't take Koffing's words to heart Priscilla. I know you'll become a great explorer" I said comfortingly "You're no chicken. You just weren't strong enough to challenge Skuntank"

"I know you're right, but I feel so ashamed for letting Team Skull get away scot-free" Priscilla hung her head in shame "I just stood there and let you be attacked. I couldn't do anything…"

"One day, we'll get back at them. I promise" I smiled as bright as I could and she smiled back "Now then, let's find a job to do"

We ended up grabbing three jobs in the Waterfall Cave, two rescues and one outlaw mission. Everytime we rescued someone, they commented on my stench.

"I get it, I stink! Can we stop talking about it already?" I growled, irritated. Behind me, Priscilla and Henry were plugging their noses with their hands.

"You know, I think you should of taken the bath before we departed" Priscilla commented as she Tackled another Wooper.

"It's really hard to concentrate with that Skuntank smell lingering" Henry said while taking down a Barboach with Quick Attack. Eventually, we finished all our jobs and returned to the guild to collect our pay. Along the way, we found the lake that Priscilla recommended I bathed in. I sent Henry to the guild to collect our money and rewards while me and Priscilla stayed in the lake.

"You know, without soap, I don't think this is going to help" I said as I sat waist deep in the shallow water, letting it wash away the dirt and grime covering my body "Priscilla, do you mind finding Henry to go buy a bar of soap or something?"

"Do they even sell that here?" Priscilla wondered out loud, then shrugged "I'll go ask. Be right back"

Several minutes later, Priscilla returned, holding a freshly bought bar of soap that smelled like strawberries.

"Now that I think about it, I remember my parents washing me using this when I was a baby" Priscilla mentioned as she handed me the soap. Then it occured to me. This was the first time Priscilla ever mentioned her parents.

"Priscilla, if you don't mind me asking…" I began as I scrubbed some more grime off my body "Are you parents okay? You haven't mentioned them at all until now"

"My parents… are dead Silvin" the Eevee replied, instantly deadpanning "They fell victim to disease"

"Oh… my condolences then" you can't say much in the light of death "So how long have you been living alone?"

"Over 6 years at least. They died when I was just a young child before pre-teenage years" Priscilla explained "I prioritized my survival over everything else, so… I didn't have the money nor time to actually bathe using soap"

"I see" I lathered the soap around my body, letting the lake's waters wash away the foam. The strawberry scent banished Skuntank's stench thankfully "Uhm… do you mind…"

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Priscilla blushed, then turned away. Though I wore no clothing usually (as a Pokemon, not a human), I knew that watching someone bathe was apparently very rude. I guess Pokemon share the same customs. Once I felt like the stench was gone, I got out of the lake, drying myself off in the sunset sun. I didn't know what to do with the soap, but Priscilla just took it and put it back into the box it came from. I suppose it was reusable? When we reached the crossroads, a Wynaut and Wobbuffet stopped us.

"Oh a customer, is it not?" the Wynaut and Wobbuffet waddled up to us "Good day, is it not? The new shop, Spinda's Cafe is now open!"

"It is?" I faintly remember a hole being dug on the lower left of the crossroads, with a sign next to it saying "Spinda's Cafe, coming soon! Where all your dreams can come true!" or something like that. I didn't expect it to be finished and have workers this fast.

"This wonderful shop is overflowing with hopes and dreams, is it not?" Wynaut continued.

"Hopes and dreams?" Priscilla looked like she was trying not to laugh. I was too, from Wynaut's corny description of the shop.

"That's right!" Wobbuffet said, as if she was waiting to say it. I could tell she was female by the red "lipstick" on her mouth.

"Hey! Why not come in? Don't be shy!" Wynaut offered.

"Eh, it couldn't hurt" me and Priscilla stepped down into the cafe, with Wynaut and Wobbuffet following us. We found ourselves in a brightly lit room filled with tables and had two bars in the back, with a large amount of posters between them. A variety of Pokemon were dining on said tables, with large glasses filled with various kinds of smoothies.

"Wow, this place is huge!" Priscilla stared at the cafe in awe. The Spinda in the middle of the room, who seemed to be the one in charge, beckoned us forward.

"Hello and welcome to Spinda's Cafe!" the Spinda gave a welcoming smile "My name is Spinda and I'm the owner of this cafe"

"Great place you got here. Looks popular already" I observed.

"This is a cafe for explorers who enjoy finding new things every day and are constantly challenging themselves" Spinda explained.

"You could do without the corny explanations you know…" Priscilla muttered under her breath.

Spinda pretended not to hear "It's natural to want to refresh yourself after a day of exploring and what better way than a hearty, delicious drink?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind a drink now" I nodded.

"Great! We are delighted to provide this service to all explorers and we trust it'll bring them happiness" Spinda continued "Today is our grand opening! Allow me to show you the premises"

Spinda led us over to the bar on the left first, which had a stockpile of fruits behind it. Many containers filled with juice lined the counter.

"This is the Juice Bar" Spinda said "You undoubtedly picked up a couple of Apples and Gummis in your journeys, no? Here, those edibles can become delicious drink sensations"

"Ooh, sounds pretty good!" Priscilla grinned at the idea.

"I, Spinda, will take your ingredient and use my incredible skills to create a delectable drink for you!" Spinda continued.

"So if I were to give you an apple right now… you could make me some apple juice?" I asked.

"That's right! That's exactly what I do!" Spinda replied cheerfully "While you're enjoying a nutritious drink, you can sit back and share exploration stories with all your friends!"

"Here's the next facility" Spinda led us over to the right side of the cafe, which had a Wynaut design with plenty of boxes and crates filled with random items.

"This is the centerpiece of this place, the Recycle Shop" Spinda explained "I'll bet you have a bunch of items in the storage that you picked up in explorations but have little use for, right?"

I rubbed the back of my head "Oh, tell me about it"

We frequently didn't have enough room in the storage for all our excess items, so we ended up selling them to Kecleon's Shop. Sure, we made a lot of money, but we didn't have the space to actually buy anything. Plus, some items apparently had no value at Kecleon's Shop, so we had to throw it out, which made me guilty over littering. We needed some way to dispose of our junk without polluting the environment.

"Sometimes you have to throw out items to make extra room…" Spinda tensed, then threw his hands into the air "Doesn't that seem wasteful?"

"There could be explorers out in dungeons who are in desperate need of the items you have locked in your storage!" Spinda made it seem like it was our fault, which I didn't think was a good way of introducing new customers "That's what we thought to. So we created this facility"

"You can bring in extra items here and trade them for items you want. How does that sound?" Spinda said "One Pokemon's trash is another's treasure, am I right?"

"I like the idea. I think we'll make frequent visits to this shop" Priscilla gave me a knowing smile.

"Great! So now you'll never have to throw away another item. You'll never have to say "What a waste!" ever again!" Spinda cheered "So if you have a collection of items you don't need, please stop my the Recycle Shop"

"Oh we'll do. I assure you" I replied dryly.

"One more thing" Spinda said "You can even get a bonus Prize Ticket when recycling items. It's a lot of fun"

"Good to hear"

"Now I know that was a whirlwind of a tour, but I think you get what's going on here" Spinda clapped his hands together "I hope to see you soon at Spinda's Cafe!"

"Thanks for the tour. We'll be back soon. I promise" Priscilla said politely and we departed the cafe to find Henry. Not too long after however, we ran into Chimecho.

"Oh hello Silvin and Priscilla!" Chimecho greeted cheerfully "Were you just at the cafe?"

"Yeah, we were. It looks great, doesn't it?" Priscilla nodded in response.

"Yes, I love it! But anyways, this is a perfect time to tell you this then" Chimecho smiled "In the past, when you wanted to take team members with you to explore, they waited for you at this watering hole…"

Me and Priscilla remained silent as Chimecho continued.

"But now that the cafe's open, everyone's been saying they would like to wait while relaxing in the cafe" the wind chime said "I completely understand that… I mean I understand how they feel"

"So… what you're saying is…"

"Do you want to meet up with your team members waiting in the cafe?"

"No, I think it's more convenient to have them waiting just outside the path out of Treasure Town" I decided "It'll get our team moving faster and people won't be draining our food supply for drinks"

"Seriously? That's the reason you say no?!" Chimecho fluttered in alarm "But that doesn't matter. Even if you select a "No", you'll eventually have to select the "Yes", so it always ends up the same anyways"

"What are you talking about Chimecho?" Priscilla asked, curious.

"Let me ask again" Chimecho said, as if nothing happened "Do you want to meet up with your team members waiting in the cafe?"

"If it'll stop you from speaking more fourth-wall breakers, then sure" I guess I had no choice in the saying.

"Perfect! I'll inform the others!" Chimecho grinned, fluttering happily in the wind "I'm sure everyone will be happy to hear that!"

I exchanged a glance of confusion with Priscilla.

"Oh, I almost forgot" Chimecho floated over to the watering hole, where a sign written in red was propped up "I placed a secret signpost here. Have you two noticed it?"

"Yeah, we saw it a couple times, but what does it do?" I asked, then cupped my hand under my chin "Also how did you put up this signpost? You don't have hands"

"I got Croagunk to help me of course" Chimecho replied "But that's beside the point. I can hear the bell on this sign all the way from the guild, so when you ring it, you can assemble your exploration team with Chimecho Assembly right here!"

"Sounds pretty convenient. Thanks Chimecho" I smiled at the wind chime Pokemon in gratitude.

"You're welcome, you two. Have a good day!" Chimecho went back into the guild, with us following her in shortly after. We collected our job rewards from Henry, deposited it in the storage, had dinner and prepared for bed. We said our goodbyes to Henry for the night and after a short conversation, fell to sleep, ready for the next day.

 **Phew, it was a while since I last updated this. So in this chapter, we meet Team Skull's full crew, learn about Spinda's Cafe and take on a couple missions. Also Chimecho breaks the fourth wall (she actually does this if you answer "No" to her question) Coming up next is Chapter 6: Perfect Apple Woods, so favorite and follow if you want to know when it comes out. Also review this story if you want to give me some constructive criticism or praise. Thank you for your patience and see you next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 6: Perfect Apple Woods

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 6: Perfect Apple Woods

"Everyone! I have an announcement before we get down to work!" Chatot called at morning briefing. The last few days had been relatively normal, us doing rescue jobs, capturing outlaws and doing sentry duty. But I never expected this.

"Let me introduce our new allies!" Chatot gestured to the ladder, waiting for the "new allies to appear". The guild stirred, talking in low voices.

"New allies? What, more new apprentices?" Loudred asked.

"Golly, I wonder what kind of Pokemon they are" Bidoof wondered aloud.

"Hey! Over here please!" Chatot called and a giant stink cloud of gas came towards us.

"Ugh! What stinks?!" Loudred shouted before doubling over to cough and wheeze.

"Eek! It reeks like rotten cheese! Eww!" Sunflora cried in distress.

"Yup, yup! That is some kind of foul stench!" Bidoof said, his eyes watering.

When the stench reached us, Priscilla could only gasp before doubling over, wheezing and coughing. I did my best to pull her away from the cloud as quick as possible. When the stink faded away and the "new allies" came down, I couldn't believe my eyes.

"No way. There's absolutely no way" I muttered before Priscilla stopped coughing and saw too. She clamped her hand over her mouth to not scream.

Team Skull were our new allies.

"These three are our new partners!" Chatot said, as if the stench didn't affect him or Wigglytuff at all.

"Whoa-ho-ho I'm Koffing" Koffing introduced himself.

"Heh-heh-heh Zubat here. Glad to meet you all" Zubat continued.

"And I'm Team Skull's leader, Skuntank. Remember that" Skuntank finished, then he turned to face us "Especially you two. Chaw-ha-ha"

"Grr… the nerve!" Priscilla's shook with fury, but I managed to calm her down. Strangely, she was still coughing despite Skuntank's stench having passed. Maybe it was just the leftover gas. Chatot looked between me and Skuntank, a look of confusion crossing his face.

"What, you're already acquainted? Oh, that simplifies things" Chatot smiled and I had to try and hold back Priscilla from tearing Chatot to feathers with Quick Attack. Chatot turned back to the guild, ignoring the Eevee's deathly glare.

"These three aren't joining us as apprentices" Chatot explained "They'll be joining us on our expedition to provide assistance"

"WHAT?!" Priscilla cried out, but I clamped my hand over her mouth in time. The Eevee squirmed, but eventually gave in and stopped struggling because everyone else was watching her.

"Why are you so shocked?" Chatot asked.

"Chatot sir, it's nothing. That one always overreacts to every little thing" Skuntank explained, with an edge of snarkiness aimed at us. I could almost feel Priscilla's rage bubbling inside her.

"Hm, very well then" Chatot was completely oblivious "Anyway, the guildmaster has made his decision. He has decided that having this trio take part will make us stronger on the expedition"

"However, it would be impossible to coordinate teamwork if we were to begin working together right away" Chatot continued "Therefore, we decided that the trio would live with us for a few days. Though it's only a few days, I ask everyone to treat our guests with hospitality"

Dead silence for ten whole seconds.

"Doesn't Chatot find something stinks about this? Literally?" Loudred thought aloud.

"Eww… how could the Guildmaster stand this?" Sunflora whispered to Bidoof.

"I sure hope this expedition ends soon! Yup yup!" Bidoof replied.

"Alright everyone! Let's get down to work!" Chatot called.

"... Hooray" everyone's voices were muted.

"What's this? Where's your usual spirit?" Chatot asked.

"You gotta be KIDDING!" Loudred yelled "This STINKS! How can you expect us to be cheerful when…"

Loudred was cut off when the guild suddenly started shaking, as if an earthquake was starting.

"W-WHAT?!" Loudred shouted in confusion.

"YOOOOMMMM…" Wigglytuff was behind Chatot, bracing himself. Chatot fluttered in alarm as the earthquake grew stronger.

"No! The Guildmaster's rage is building!" Chatot cried "If the Guildmaster gets angry, it'll be horrific! Everyone come on! Be cheerful, even if it hurts!"

"All right everyone! Let's get down to work!" Chatot shouted in a quivering voice as cracks began forming on the walls and explosions literally erupted out of nowhere.

"HOORAY!" everyone shouted in fear, then ran to their stations as quick as they could. The earthquake stopped and Wigglytuff returned to normal, going into his chambers as usual. I stared at Priscilla in bewilderment. Neither of us could find the words to describe what went on.

"Chaw-ha-ha nice to have met you" Skuntank told Chatot "Come on you two, we're leaving"

"Whoa-ho-ho"

"Heh-heh-heh"

And Team Skull left, not even fazed by Wigglytuff's near apocalyptic outburst.

"Let's… let's go find a job to do…" Priscilla said, still in shock from Wigglytuff's display. We went to the notice boards to find a job, grabbing two rescue missions at Drenched Bluff. We grabbed Henry, went to Drenched Bluff, rescued the Pokemon, came back and got the rewards just in time for dinner. Priscilla was very uncomfortable sitting next to Skuntank, so she decided to go to our room early and munch on apples and berries for her dinner.

"The stuff in our treasure bags and the food Chimecho cooks are practically the same" I muttered under my breath as I popped a Sitrus Berry into my mouth, wary of Team Skull watching me with smirks "Wonder if I could sneak a few berries back"

Fortunately, everyone was too distracted by their food to notice me sneaking out of the mess hall. I made my way back to me and Priscilla's room and found her, coughing again.

"You've been coughing ever since Skuntank unleashed that cloud of gas" I noted as I sat next to her, helping her ease her condition "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know. Maybe the gas got into my lungs or something…" Priscilla said as she wheezed and coughed again.

"You shouldn't be coughing this much, especially since so much time passed since Skuntank's stench" I said, patting the Eevee's back "I got blasted full in the face with it and haven't coughed since then"

"You think it's an illness?"

"An allergy most likely"

"Great" Priscilla grumbled "Not only did Team Skull join our expedition, but they also attacked you and gave me an illness. Those vile…"

"Just rest for now and you should be fine in the morning" I said gently, easing Priscilla into her bed "Do you want me to go out and buy some cough medicine for you?"

"I think I'll need it. Thank you Silvin" Priscilla nodded "You're very sweet"

"Be back in a sec" I left the guild and headed towards Treasure Town. Luckily, Treasure Town's night market was just as lively as its day one. An apothecary named Bellossom recently moved to town and set up a medicine shop next to Xatu's Appraisal. I stopped by and bought a general cough medicine for Priscilla. While walking back, I thought back to a week ago, when Skuntank attacked me and covered me in a cloud of gas. I had to go wash up and later found out that Priscilla's parents died.

To disease.

I wondered if her coughing fits now was the disease that took down her parents, but I let the thought pass. She was simply coughing due to inhaling Skuntank's gas, nothing else. I came back to the guild, stole a glass from the kitchen and came back to our room with a mug of water and the medicine. Priscilla was already asleep by the time I arrived.

"Sweet dreams, sleeping beauty" I smiled as I set down the two items next to her bed and climbed onto my own, falling asleep within seconds. Though the night was old, not everyone was asleep.

"We had dinner not too long ago, but I'm still hungry" Zubat said "I could go for some more food"

"My belly will never get full from grub like that" Koffing added.

"All right, the guild members have all gone off to bed" Skuntank surveyed the empty guild grounds, darkness all around him "Let's go find it out"

"Huh? Find what?" Zubat asked.

"What else? The guild's food stock" Skuntank replied "We'll find their food and give ourselves a proper feast"

"I like that thinking Chief!" Koffing grinned.

"Okay, let's get to it!" Zubat urged.

…

"UP AND AT EM, IT'S MORNING!" Loudred did his usual alarm clock routine, waking everyone up from their slumber. We did our usual morning cheer and dispersed, before Chatot beckoned us to come to him.

"You two, you have a different task today" Chatot said "You're supposed to obtain stock to replenish the larder"

"Replenish the larder? You mean the food stock's empty?" Priscilla asked.

"Correct. We inspected the larder this morning" Chatot explained "And it just so happens that last night, someone pilfered nearly all our food"

"Shouldn't we be investigating who ate all that food instead of getting more for him to steal?" I pointed out.

"We're working on that right now. You two are just going to refill the larder for tonight's dinner" Chatot replied "For whatever strange reason, our entire stash of Perfect Apples are gone. They were the only item to get completely cleaned out"

"Perfect Apple? Like the apple Wigglytuff bounces on his head at dinner and doesn't bother to eat?" Priscilla asked.

"Precisely, although I must tell you that Guildmaster Wigglytuff DOES eat his Perfect Apples…" Chatot explained "The point is that Perfect Apples are the Guildmaster's favourite food. If he doesn't have one at dinner he'll…"

Chatot went silent and gulped.

"Go on. If there were no Perfect Apples, what would happen to Wigglytuff?" I asked.

"The Guildmaster would….." Chatot held his silence for three seconds "Yes, that's what would happen"

I glanced at Priscilla in confusion "You never said anything would happen"

"That's why I'm begging you to find some Perfect Apples for us" Chatot ignored me completely "You can find them deep in Apple Woods. Go on, time is not for wasting!"

As me and Priscilla left the guild, Team Skull has been spying on us from the sidelines.

"Whoa-ho-ho so those two are going off to forage for food" Koffing said.

"That's because we feasted last night. A thankless task thanks to us, chaw-ha-ha" Skuntank cackled.

"Heh-heh-heh let's mess with them" Zubat grinned sinisterly and the three left the guild towards Apple Woods.

We arrived at Apple Woods shortly after, with Henry at our side as usual.

"This must be Apple Woods" Priscilla noted, judging by all the apples littering the group and trees around us "Chatot said we needed to go into the deepest part of the dungeon to find Perfect Apples"

"That's why I emptied my treasure bag" I said "So we could bring back as many Perfect Apples as we can"

"Then let's hurry then. Whatever happens to Wigglytuff without Perfect Apples…" Priscilla shuddered "It was enough to scare Chatot into silence. So let's not waste any time"

"Last time I remember, this place is full of Grass and Bug type Pokemon" Henry pointed out "So just rely on me to take out the enemy Pokemon!"

"Thanks Henry. Now, let's go!" we charged into the forest, not even noticing Team Skull right behind us.

"Whoa-ho-ho looks like they're off and running" Koffing said.

"Heh-heh-heh we'll go after them. Come on" Zubat urged and the trio entered the mystery dungeon.

Apple Woods was just as Henry said it to be. Apples were everywhere, regular and big and all the enemy Pokemon in the area were either Grass or Bug type. Henry made short work of them with his Wing Attack. Occasionally, we ran into an Exeggutor who dealt heavy damage to me with his Confusion, but Henry and Priscilla covered me whenever we saw one. The Butterfree and Gloom were issues for me as well, since they either knew psychic attacks like Butterfree or resisted my powerful Force Palm like Paras. I had to switch to Quick Attack and Bite whenever those two popped up. The forest was long and had many floors. We had to take rest breaks every once in a while and drink Max Elixirs because we ran out of PP on our moves.

"Gods above, how many floors are in these woods?" I asked out loud while downing another Max Elixir "We've been traversing this place for hours"

"It's just a gut feeling, but we're close" Priscilla glanced around the room we were in before eating an Oran Berry to heal a wound she took from an Exeggutor's Seed Bomb.

"Yep, we're close!" Henry chirped "I come here all the time to hunt Bug Pokemon or apples. The dungeon here is about… 12 floors"

"12 floors. Has anybody been counting?" I took my last bite out of an apple before throwing the core onto the ground "Because I haven't"

"If I remember correctly, we're on floor nine" Priscilla said, preparing to go to the left hallway "I think that was long enough of a break. Let's hurry along"

"Yeah, I heard once that if you spend too much time in a mystery dungeon, some mysterious force kicks you out" Henry said "Nobody knows what it is, but it's indicated by a strong wind rushing by your body"

"Hmm… that's something to study later" Priscilla noted "But now's not the time. Let's go!"

We continued onwards, picking up items and apples along with taking down enemy Pokemon. When we stopped again for a break, Priscilla pulled an apple from her treasure bag and began to eat.

"I'm willing to bet 50 Poke that one of these apples are poisoned" I said, brushing the dirt ground with my foot "There's gotta be at least ONE apple that a Beedrill stuck it's needle into"

"I think we'll know judging by a hole Silvin" Priscilla smirked as she continued munching on her apple before doubling over, dropping the apple and spluttering.

"What did I tell you…?" I dug a Pecha Berry from my bag in case this kind of things happen and handed it to Priscilla. The Eevee downed the Pecha Berry instantly, removing the purple spot forming over her throat.

"We should remember to check our food before eating it" Henry laughed "We can carry only so many healing berries after all"

"Next time, we'll only eat when it's necessary" I said firmly "Anyway, what floor are we on?"

"Floor 11. The next floor should lead to the end" Priscilla informed and we moved onwards, eventually finding the staircase leading to the next floor. When we arrived, we found a clearing with a giant tree that used to be covered in large, attractive apples. Now a pile of apple cores sat the base of the tree, with the sound of rustling above.

"What… who ate all these apples…?" Priscilla wondered, awestruck.

"Chaw-ha-ha who do you think it was?" a familiar laugh and voice came from the top of the perfect apple tree.

"Who was- Skuntank!" Priscilla glared at the tree top "What are you doing here sabotaging our job?!"

"Oh good for you. You found me out chaw-ha-ha" Skuntank, Zubat and Koffing appeared on top of the tree and jumped down, shaking the ground in front of us "Team Skull, at your service"

"Silvin, you mind explaining who the heck these guys are? Because I can literally feel Priscilla's rage from here" Henry said.

"Later Henry. What do you three want?" I was irritated that Team Skull somehow got here faster than we did, but also stole all of our loot.

"Heh-heh. Hey, it's wimpy and company. What took you so long?" Zubat taunted.

"You little…" Priscilla rushed with blinding speed, smashing Zubat to the ground with Quick Attack.

"Priscilla! Calm down!" I made the Eevee calm down and at least let Team Skull speak.

"Oh that was rude! We were just about to help you get some Perfect Apples, but you went and attacked our comrade!" Skuntank faked tears "What did we do to you?"

"Enough lying Skuntank. What are you actually here for?" I demanded.

"Well, we've been waiting for you to show up, but since you took so long, we've been having a feast on Perfect Apples!" Koffing floated towards the pile of apple cores next to the tree "You took so long that I'm afraid we ate all of them. Sorry!"

"Don't think that I'm blind you fool. I can still see a couple apples on the tree" Priscilla snarled "Come on Silvin, Henry. Let's knock these rogues out and snag the last apples for ourselves!"

"Knock us out? How rude!" Skuntank arched his eyebrows "You attacked Zubat and now you're threatening us! I SAID we were going to help you!"

"Yeah and I'm the Guildmaster" I replied sarcastically "No more stalling. I'm going to pay you back to stink-clouding me!"

"Chaw-ha-ha looks like we have no choice then" Skuntank laughed "Prepare yourself. In recognition of your courage, we'll be honored to take you on fair and square. Chaw-ha-ha!"

"Even I can tell he's lying through the thin of his teeth" Henry noted, beginning to take flight "Let's be careful while we fight"

"Oh no, no need to be careful" Skuntank and Koffing got in front of us while pushing aside Zubat "Because this fight will end in just a second"

"Big talk!"

"Get ready then. Me and Koffing… will unleash our noxious gas combo!" Skuntank and Koffing both expelled Poison Gas onto us, blinding us with two different types of poison. It was so strong that I fainted from taking a single breath from it. I felt my limbs turn to jelly, then fell face first onto the ground, the world around me fading away.

"Silvin? Priscilla? SILVIN?! PRISCILLA?!" Henry screeched and we stirred, groggily getting up from the ground. Henry explained that he avoided the gas combo, but knew he was too weak to take on Team Skull by himself, so he kept out of sight.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop them" the Starly apologized "If only I could of snatched at least ONE Perfect Apple from them…"

"Wait… what did they do?!" Priscilla cried.

"Team Skull shook the last of the apples out of the tree and went back to Treasure Town" Henry confirmed "What they are going to do with the apples, I don't really know…"

Priscilla stamped her paw against the dirt "Damn it! Now we have to return to the guild empty handed…"

"Our mission was to "replenish the larder" right?" I pointed out "So while we couldn't get any Perfect Apples, we can at least feed the guild tonight"

"Uhm, about that…" Henry looked uneasy "While you were out, Team Skull looted your treasure bag too"

"Huh?!" both of us panicked and checked our treasure bags, finding both to be completely empty.

"Those thieves! They… they stole all our apples!" Priscilla slammed the ground with her foot in rage "I swear the next time I see them I'll…"

"Relax. We found your apples" a new voice came from the dungeon and out from it came a Gallade and a Mismagius, both of them carrying a large amount of apples. The Mismagius was levitating them with psychic power.

"We found these at the end of the mystery dungeon" the Gallade said as he gently piled the apples in front of us. The Mismagius dispelled her psychic hold and her apples joined the pile.

"Wait, you found them?" I asked "So that means…"

"We saw a Skuntank, Zubat and Koffing trudging through a dungeon, muttering about getting tired from holding all those apples" the Gallade explained ""Drop them on the ground then! We taught those wimps a lesson already" the Skuntank said"

"Well, I'm glad we're not going home empty handed" Priscilla said as she began scooping the apples back into her treasure bag "Thank you both. Can I at least know your names?"

"Oh Zelot, you're terrible at introductions" the Mismagius laughed "If you help out a stranger, you have to tell them your name first!"

"Why didn't you do it Sara?" the Gallade yelped, then regained his composure "My apologies then. I'm Zelot, leader of Team Alpha and this is Sara, my partner. You are?"

"I'm Silvin, a member of Team Skylar. This is Priscilla and Henry" I gestured to my two comrades beside me.

"Don't be so modest Silvin. You're the leader of Team Skylar, not simply a member" Priscilla reminded me.

"We never discussed it, so I never knew who the leader was" I shrugged "I call myself a member just in case"

"Anyways, thank you for gathering our apples" Priscilla smiled at Zelot and Sara "I'd love to stay and chat, but we have to head back to Wigglytuff's Guild quickly!"

"Wigglytuff's Guild? Oh! That's where we're heading!" Zelot perked up "We caught wind of an expedition coming soon, so me and Sara wanted to come and "reinforce" the guild so to speak"

"Really? Then is it okay if we lead you there?" Priscilla asked "I mean, you want to go there and we're just about to head back…"

"That'll be brilliant. Thank you, sweetie" Sara grinned "Now then, let's hurry along. Can't keep the guild waiting!"

And so, we gathered up all our stolen apples and left Apple Woods, woefully upset that Team Skull nabbed out loot. If Chatot was terrified of Wigglytuff, I could only imagine what would happen when we told the Guildmaster we didn't bring back any Perfect Apples. We left Zelot, Sara and Henry outside while we entered the guild to talk with Chatot. After we explained what happened, Chatot fluttered in shock.

"What?! You failed?!" Chatot flapped his wings frantically in alarm "Are you serious?! Oh no, what am I going to do?!"

Chatot panically dashed side to side a bit before crying "Seriously, what am I to do?!"

"It wasn't our fault Chatot! You see, Skuntank and his…" Priscilla began, but got quickly cut off.

"Quiet! I don't want any excuses!" Chatot hissed.

"What?! But it's the truth!" I protested.

"You leave me no choice then" Chatot completely ignored me "To punish you for your failure, you'll go with no dinner for tonight!"

"That's fine. I'd rather not eat next to Skuntank anyway-"

"Priscilla, be quiet please"

"Hmph, fine then!" Chatot stomped his foot on the ground "If I'm going to have to face the Guildmaster's wrath, you'll have to too!

"Oh boy…" me and Priscilla both groaned while Chatot hurried towards the second floor ladder.

"Hurry up and move it!" Chatot urged.

When we arrived at the guildmaster's chambers, Wigglytuff's back was turned to us as usual.

"Guildmaster Wigglytuff, I've come to deliver a report alongside Team Skylar" Chatot informed. Upon hearing that, Wigglytuff turned to us suddenly, with a silly grin on his face.

"Hiya! You brought me some Perfect Apples didn't you?" Wigglytuff got a excited light in his eyes "Thank you!"

"Uh… there's uh… a slight problem… Guildmaster…" I've never seen Chatot this unnerved before. It's as if the very presence of Wigglytuff scared Chatot to the point of stuttering.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Wigglytuff asked.

"You see uh… truth be told…" Chatot bit his tongue "These apprentices… well they failed their mission to bring back Perfect Apples so…"

"Uhm… to put it in another way, we-"

"It's okay. I understand" Wigglytuff said easily, invoking a gasp from Priscilla "It's all right. Nobody wins all the time! Don't feel blue, don't feel blue!"

Wigglytuff turned to Chatot "Where are the other Perfect Apples?"

"As I explained… they failed to get them… so…" Chatot bristled "In other words… the amount of Perfect Apples we have are… zero"

Someone may as well have dropped a pin in the room because everyone fell silent. Wigglytuff's smile faded.

"...Oh"

"Therefore, not even a single apple was obtained so…" Chatot braced himself "You'll have to go without Perfect Apples for a little bit"

Suddenly Chatot began laughing, almost hysterically "Yep, that's what it means! Hee! Hee! Hee-hee! Hee-hee!"

Nobody laughed along with Chatot, including Wigglytuff. The Guildmaster just stared at Chatot. Those giant blue eyes may as well be staring into Chatot's soul.

"Um, Guildmaster? Guildmaster?" Chatot asked, almost panic-like.

"Uh oh…" me and Priscilla took a step back.

Wigglytuff turned to us and sniffled a little, even beginning to sob.

"What is he, crying?" Priscilla backed away quickly as Wigglytuff began shaking, tears forming on his eyes.

"Waahhh! No!" Chatot cried.

"Urrrffffff….. Urrrrrrrr" the entire guild began shaking, just like the earthquake Wigglytuff caused before.

"Waaaa…. Waaaahhhh" the earthquake became stronger as Wigglytuff's emotions grew stronger.

"Cover your ears!" Chatot shouted.

"W-why?!" Priscilla shouted back.

"Don't argue! Do it now!" Chatot screamed and covered his ears with his wings. I did the same with my hands and so did Priscilla.

"WAAAAAHHHH!" Wigglytuff collapsed into hysterics, explosions appearing out of nowhere and windows cracking along with the entire building. If this kept going, Wigglytuff would bury everyone alive!

"BWWEEEEEHHHHH!" the windows in the chamber shattered, letting everyone in Treasure Town hear the infernal noise. Small rocks began falling onto our heads from the ceiling. Not too long after, bigger rocks would smash us flat! But everything was stopped by the most unlikely adversary.

"Sorry to disturb you! We came to deliver a Perfect Apple!" Skuntank scrolled in, carrying a Perfect Apple. Ignoring our gasps of shock and Priscilla's snarl of anger, Skuntank dropped the Perfect Apple at Wigglytuff's feet, who eyed it confusingly.

"Here you go. A genuine Perfect Apple" Skuntank said "Please accept it as a token of friendship"

"Oh wow! You went out and got this just for me?" Wigglytuff acted like nothing happened literal seconds ago and propped the Perfect Apple on his head and began to dance.

"Yay, thank you, thank you! Friends, friends!" Wigglytuff said. Chatot hopped over to Skuntank, a look of utter relief on his face.

"Th-thank you so very, very kindly!" Chatot said "Thanks to you, we've been spared a catastrophe!"

"Hey! You two!" Chatot's sharp tone caught me off guard "Stop dozing and show some appreciation and respect!"

"What?! But they-"

Chatot hissed in her direction.

"Thank you Skuntank"

"Chaw-ha-ha. No, no, there's no need. After all, your guild has been very generous and hospitable to us" Skuntank smirked in our direction "It's only right that we try and repay the favor in our own way"

"Ah! I can see that you're the most admirable of Pokemon!" Chatot grinned "To be able to embark on an expedition with people as noble as you… it'll be truly inspiring!"

"Chaw-ha-ha. No, no, YOU'll be the one who will inspire us!" Skuntank replied "Truly, we look forward to the expedition. It's time for dinner now, so I shall be off to the mess hall"

"Thank you so very much and have a good meal!" Chatot called as Skuntank left.

"Now you two, off to bed!" Chatot commanded "You don't even get to be in the very SIGHT of food tonight!"

"Yes sir…" me and Priscilla skulked out of the guildmaster chambers to head back outside and allow Zelot and Sara in. Once they were in and talking to Chatot, me and Priscilla retreated to our bedroom.

Priscilla sighed "Skuntank's team just shows us up again and again and again"

"Don't have the energy to be angry?" I raised an eyebrow "You seem to get REALLY upset whenever they show up"

"Yeah I suppose I am" Priscilla rested her head onto the nest of hay "Tired I mean. And frustrated"

"One day, we'll get back at them" I vowed "But for now, let's just serve ourselves dinner"

"I'm surprised Chatot didn't notice our treasure bags are still full of apples" Priscilla broke open her bag and pulled an apple out "He didn't ask us to fill up the larder"

"I guess he had other guild members do it" I shrugged "Oh well, more food for us"

We ate until we were sufficiently full, then packed up for the night. Wishing each other goodnight, both of us fell into a deep slumber.

"But Chief… why did you bother to help out that chicken?" Zubat asked under the cover of the nighttime darkness "Like giving away that Perfect Apple right then. We should of sat back and seen what would happen to them! It would be hilarious!"

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly" Koffing agreed.

"Chaw-ha-ha you're not thinking strategically you two" Skuntank replied "Why did we come here in the first place?"

"To join the expedition" Zubat said.

"Exactly. And if we're to nab the treasure from this expedition, we have to win their trust first. Wigglytuff's trust in particular" Skuntank's mouth twisted into a dark smile.

"I see what you're getting at" Koffing said.

"This being a famous guild and all, I was playing it safe at first, but this is ridiculously easy" Skuntank cackled "Wigglytuff's nothing more than a big baby. Why everyone's so terrified of him? I'll never know"

"What do we do if we find the expedition's treasure?" Zubat asked.

"We knock out the guild's crew of course" Koffing answered for him.

"Oh I see. We'll snatch the treasure, then ske-daddle out! We'll be gone before they even realize it!" Zubat laughed.

"Quiet you! You're making too much noise" Skuntank hissed.

"Oh. S-sorry Chief…"

 **Zelot and Sara, the Gallade and Mismagius pair met near the end of the chapter are OC characters. We'll eventually get to know them more later on. Coming up next is the first expedition chapter where Team Skylar and the guild embark towards Fogbound Lake. But first, Mt Horn and Craggy Coast. Favorite and follow if you want to get notified of new chapters and review if you want to give some constructive criticism or praise. Until next time reader!**


	8. Chapter 7: Tying Up Ribbons

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 7: Tying Up Ribbons

"Ahem, one last thing" Chatot said at morning briefing "Tomorrow, the day after or even in several days time… We plan to announce the candidates for the expedition party"

"Wow!" Chimecho's smile widened. Everyone got excited at the prospect of the expedition party being chosen.

"By golly! The members are finally going to be picked!" Bidoof said excitingly.

"Oh my gosh! It'll be so fun!" Sunflora cheered.

"Everyone, this is your last chance to make an impression!" Chatot announced "Work hard and impress us if you want to be chosen!"

"WAIT! Hold on a second!" Loudred suddenly shouted from the back of the group "I don't know if anyone asked yet, but WHO are those two?!"

Loudred pointed to Zelot and Sara, who were standing beside Team Skull.

"Ah, I forgot to introduce them. This is Zelot and Sara, a bounty hunter team named Team Alpha. They'll be reinforcing us on the expedition just like how Team Skull is" Chatot explained "Does that clear it up?"

"Oh. Couldn't even give us time to make our own intros" Zelot smiled thinly.

"Forgive me, but work is more frantic than ever these last few days" Chatot said "More Pokemon are visiting the guild and there's been a spike of rescue jobs and outlaws. I'm afraid time isn't favoring us"

"Ah ha ha! I understand completely" Sara laughed easily "Anyhow, I'm glad to meet you all and hope to be an asset on the expedition"

"The same for me" Zelot agreed.

"Alright everyone, let's get to work as usual!" Chatot called.

"HOORAY!"

Before me and Priscilla could head to the first floor, Chatot beckoned us over to him.

"Your task today is as usual: find Pokemon to rescue or outlaws to capture" Chatot instructed "One thing though about the expedition…"

"... What is it?" Priscilla asked uneasily.

"You should give up on being chosen as expedition members" Chatot dropped the news like a rock. Me and Priscilla took a step back in shock.

"W-what?! Why?!"

"Your failure yesterday weighed heavily on your overall performance" Chatot explained "As you know, it's difficult to tell what the Guildmaster's thinking based on his… demeanor. But there's no doubt that he must be seething with anger inside"

"Seething with anger… because of us?" Priscilla stamped her paw down "He got his Perfect Apple! He should be happy!"

"I can't speak for the Guildmaster's mind and neither can you" Chatot countered firmly "Anyhow, it's highly unlikely he'll consider you for the expedition after that incident"

"So… what? Do we just lay down and accept that we won't be chosen?" I asked, words as hard as steel.

"All I'm telling you is that when it's time to announce the expedition members, don't get your hopes up" Chatot said "That is all. Now, if you excuse me…"

Chatot left to go to the first floor. We were about to follow him when we heard someone whisper nearby.

"Psst! Listen up!" we heard Bidoof's voice from the other side of the room and found him alongside Chimecho and Sunflora.

"Huh? What are you three doing here?" I asked.

"Shh! Not so loud!" Sunflora chided "Follow us for a second"

The three of them rushed into the guild's bedrooms, as if being chased by something. We followed them in and found them in our bedroom, waiting for us.

"Whew, nobody saw us except for maybe Croagunk" Bidoof sighed in relief.

"What's going on? Why did you call us back to our room?" Priscilla asked.

"Well… here you go" Sunflora dug out two Big Apples from her treasure bag and placed them in front of us "We noticed that you weren't at dinner last time, so we figured you were hungry"

"That's so sweet of you" Priscilla smiled wanly "But me and Silvin already ate"

"Huh?"

"We gathered a bunch of apples from Apple Woods yesterday" I explained "Chatot didn't seem to notice, so we just had dinner in our room"

"So you can take back your apples. We don't need them" Priscilla nudged the Big Apple Sunflora gave her back to the sunflower Pokemon.

"Oh I see then" Sunflora took back the apples "We were just worried you'll be tuckered out from yesterday"

"Everyone wants to work hard to be picked for the expedition" Bidoof said "And well, we figured you couldn't do it on an empty stomach yup, yup!"

"We're alright, thanks for checking up on us though" Priscilla smile dropped "But about the expedition… Chatot came to us this morning and said…"

"Said… what?" all three Pokemon asked in unison.

"He said we're probably not going to be chosen because we failed to get Wigglytuff a Perfect Apple" I explained "So… me and Priscilla aren't able to go"

"How could you say that? There's no telling what might happen! Yes sirree!" Bidoof pointed out.

"The members haven't even been picked yet" Sunflora piped up "You still have a chance!"

"Thanks for trying to cheer us up but…" Priscilla hesitated "Doesn't everybody want to go on the expedition? If we were chosen to go, someone else is going to have to be left behind. Would you be okay with that?"

"No, not really. I would be sad and all but…" Sunflora began "Not everyone can go and if you can't, cheer for the Pokemon who could!"

"Besides, everyone wants to go on an expedition with you two, Silvin and Priscilla" Bidoof encouraged "So even if the odds are against you, just keep working hard to do your best to be chosen yup, yup!"

"We were never thinking of giving up" I smirked "But thanks for the encouragement anyways"

"You're welcome! Good luck on your work today!" Chimecho laughed, ringing her bell for good luck. We found ourselves heading to the first floor, before Croagunk stopped us.

"Meh-heh-heh. You two over there" Croagunk called "Come here for a sec"

"Why does everyone here laugh so weirdly…?" I muttered to myself as we headed over to Croagunk's stand, which had a large bubbling cauldron behind him.

"What is it Croagunk?" Priscilla asked.

"Meh-heh-heh. What were you doing over there with Bidoof and the others? Looks pretty suspicious" Croagunk replied.

"It was nothing Croagunk. They just wanted to talk privately with us" Priscilla lied.

"Meh-heh-heh. Guess it's not my business" Croagunk shrugged "Anyway, that's not why I called you here meh-heh-heh. The waiting is over!"

"What wait?" I asked, tilting my head.

"It's about my shop" Croagunk replied, gesturing to the cauldron "Meh-heh-heh. The Croagunk Swap Shop is back in business!"

"Croagunk… Swap shop?"

"Meh-heh-heh. You heard it right" Croagunk said "I finished repairing my Swap Cauldron, which means I'm finally back in business again! Meh-heh-heh!"

"So… how does it work? The cauldron I mean" I asked.

"You put certain kinds of items inside the cauldron…" Croagunk turned to the dark stone pot "And those items get swapped for another item offered up by a Pokemon all around the world"

"So it's basically global trading, right?" Priscilla asked.

"Meh-heh-heh pretty much" Croagunk nodded "These items are referred as "exclusive items" which you can find in dungeons. These items give a certain species of Pokemon a boost in physical power, physical and special defense etc. You get the point"

"I see. How would we know if an item is an "exclusive item"?" I questioned.

"You'll know it when you see it. It's usually something that's part of or looks like a Pokemon" Croagunk explained "Like a tail or a collar of sorts"

"A… tail…?" I was almost nervous to ask why we could find Pokemon tails.

"Meh-heh-heh you'll never know what kind of item a Pokemon around the world would have" Croagunk continued "So frequent my shop if you have stuff to swap, alright?"

"We'll do. Thanks Croagunk" Priscilla nodded.

"Meh-heh-heh see you soon, you two" Croagunk replied.

We went to the first floor, took a couple jobs, then headed outside. Before we could leave however, we noticed a couple Pokemon around Spinda's Cafe.

"Huh, there seems to be something going on at the cafe" Priscilla noted as we walked down the steps towards the cafe entrance "Hey, is there something going on?"

"Yeah, there seems to be some big news for all explorers" a Mr. Mime replied.

"I wonder what kind of news it is" an Octillery continued "Hmm, now I'm really interested. I'm going to find out"

"Me too" the Mr. Mime followed Octillery down the stairs.

"Wonderful news, huh?" Priscilla turned to me "We should go check it out too Silvin"

We headed down the stairs and found a crowd of Pokemon in the center of the cafe. Spinda was in the far back in between the stands, as if preparing for an announcement.

"Wow, there's a lot of Pokemon here" I said as me and Priscilla moved further into the crowd to hear Spinda better.

"May I have everyone's attention please! First of all, I'd like to thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come here!" Spinda announced, quieting everyone down "Today, I would like to give wonderful news of hopes and dreams!"

"And here I thought this guy couldn't get more corny" I muttered and Priscilla giggled beside me.

"Ahem" Spinda cleared his throat "Thanks to your kind patronage, this cafe has become quite popular. We've been fortunate to have such wonderful customers!"

"This shop's pride and joy, the Recycle Shop, is fully operational and has collected many items" Spinda continued "We would like to thank you for your kind patronage… by opening a new service!"

The crowd exploded into cheer.

"A new service? Ooh, I wonder what it could be!" one Pokemon said excitingly.

"I bet it's going to help explorers and Pokemon just as much as the Recycle Shop!" another exclaimed.

"And this new service is called…" Spinda gestured to Wobbuffet, who drum-rolled on the wooden counter "Project P!"

The cheer turned to murmuring in the crowd.

"Project P? What could that be?" a Pokemon asked.

"Doesn't ring any bells" another replied.

"The Project aims to use items recycled at the recycle shop to find unexplored locations!" Spinda declared "Allow me to explain"

Spinda turned and gestured to Wynaut to hand him a marker. Once he got it, Spinda began drawing on the wall. He drew a treasure chest with three arrows around it, like a triangle.

"Right now at the Recycle Shop, you can trade several items in exchange for one of the shop's items…" Spinda explained as he drew a white cloud with a treasure chest and several Oran Berries nearby "... Thanks to everyone's continued efforts, we have gathered a lot of items here at the shop"

"The service will continue to operate in the same manner…" Spinda finished the drawing and moved to the other side "And now with Project P established, we'll use the accumulated items to explore unexplored areas!"

Spinda drew an arrow next to the first picture, then quickly drew a simple temple or tower with bushes around it.

"There are still so many unexplored places all around the world!" Spinda continued "So many secret treasures and challenging puzzles waiting to be discovered... "

Spinda turned back to us "So let's go out and find them! That's what Project P is all about!"

Spinda turned to the wall again and drew a third arrow, leading up to form a triangle. He drew a large treasure chest with golden coins spilling out of it "Ah, the pursuit of knowledge and continued exploration… will allow us to find treasure and new areas to explore!"

Spinda turned to us again "And finally, if you bring back your discovery to the cafe, you'll get a special deal at the Recycle Shop!"

Spinda turned and drew the final arrow, connecting the treasure chest back to first picture "This will keep the items in the Recycle Shop circulating and allow the shop to feature more and more amazing items!"

Spinda handed the marker to Wobbuffet "Use the recycled items to explore the world! Don't you think it's a magnificent project, filled with hopes and dreams?!"

"If he didn't add the "hopes and dreams" part at the end, I might of taken it more seriously" I murmured under my breath.

"Whoa! This is genius!" Mr.Mine exclaimed.

"It seems so economical!" a Pachirisu hopped up and down in excitement.

"We've already sent out exploration teams to find unexplored areas!" Spinda announced "There should be new discoveries before long!"

Spinda gestured to the Recycle Shop beside him "So everyone! Please keep recycling, more and more every day! Let's all work together to find unexplored areas!"

The crowd exploded into cheer, applauding Spinda not only for his performance, but brilliant idea. Priscilla turned to me, beaming.

"Isn't this great Silvin? The more we recycle, the more we help explorers all around the world finding new mystery dungeons!" the Eevee grinned "We should recycle more sometime!"

"After we're finished our jobs for today, let's organize our inventory" I said "Then we can figure out what to recycle"

"Sounds like a plan!" Priscilla smiled "Let's get going"

And so we departed, did our rescue and outlaw capture jobs, then came back and organized our inventory via Kangaskhan Storage. We ended up recycling two dozen apples, a handful of Oran Berries, a couple scarves and other attire. In return, we got a silver ticket, which we redeemed immediately and ended up getting a Gold Ribbon.

"The Gold Ribbon is quite rare and fetches a lot of Poke" Priscilla said when we were back in our room "We could sell it if we need the extra cash"

"What's stopping people from wearing it?" I asked.

"Well… nothing. Just robbers I guess"

"Then I think it'll look good on you"

"Huh? M-me?"

I shamelessly tied the Gold Ribbon around Priscilla's neck before stepping back to admire it "You were right when you said it was rare. It looks to be sparkling with actual gold!"

"But do I… do I look okay in it?" the Eevee asked, blushing.

"Simple, yet breathtaking as always" I smiled and Priscilla's face went redder "Goodnight Priscilla"

"G-goodnight Silvin" the Eevee stammered before resting her head onto the hay bed, back turned to me. Probably to hide her blush.

"The longer I stay here, the less I want to turn human again" I thought as I closed my eyes "Everyone's so nice here… and I have power like I've never had before as a human…"

Before I could continue, I dozed off, snoring lightly in my sleep.

The next morning, something big happened.

"Ahem. Now then…" Chatot began "I shall announce the expedition team members"

"Whew, it's finally settled! I've been waiting for ages yup, yup" Bidoof said.

"Yippee! He's finally choosing!" Sunflora cheered "Ooh, I could faint from excitement already!"

"Guildmaster, the memo please" Chatot requested.

Wigglytuff handed Chatot a sheet of paper containing all the names of the Pokemon going on the expedition.

"The chosen members are written on this memo" Chatot held up the sheet of paper "Step forward if you name is called"

"Ooh, it's finally happening" Sunflora was shaking, probably both in fear and excitement.

"My heart's a-pounding, by golly" Bidoof added.

"Without further ado, I will announce who has been chosen" Chatot called our attention back to him "Out first member… Loudred!"

"Y-yes! I DID IT!" Loudred came up front proudly "But if you think about it, it's only NATURAL that I get picked! WOO-HOO!"

"Says you…" Sunflora grumbled.

"Big talker, yup yup…" Bidoof murmured.

"Is he saying that he wasn't even nervous?" Chimecho whispered.

"Next up is… Corphish!" Chatot called.

"Hey, hey, hey! I got it!" Corphish grinned "I got picked! Hey, hey! What a relief…"

"Next up is… Oh this is interesting" Chatot looked at Bidoof "Well this is a surprise! Our next member is Bidoof!"

"Really? Really and truly?" Bidoof had a mixture of shock and happiness on his face "Golly… me?! I'm going on the expedition?!"

"Hm? Is anything the matter Bidoof?" Chatot asked as he noticed Bidoof shaking.

"Come on Bidoof. You got picked! Go up there proudly" I encouraged and Bidoof smiled warmly, joining Corphish and Loudred beside Wigglytuff.

"Next we have Sunflora and Chimecho!" Chatot called.

"Oh! Us too?" Chimecho rang her bell in alarm.

"Eek! Oh my gosh!" Sunflora bounced in joy.

"Erm, yes… and there we have the expedition team members!" Chatot declared.

Priscilla looked at me sadly "We didn't get picked…"

"I guess Wigglytuff really was "seething with anger" at us" I replied, shoulders slumped.

"Chaw-ha-ha looks like those losers are out" Skuntank smirked under his breath.

"Heh-heh-heh serves them right!" Zubat replied quietly.

"Whoa-ho-ho they had it coming" Koffing agreed.

"So that it's for the expedition team members… erm" Chatot looked over the memo again "Huh? What's this?"

"There's something scribbled on the margins of the memo" Chatot whispered to himself "The Guildmaster's handwriting is such a messy scrawl…"

"It's so hard to decipher…" Chatot continued, looking uneasy "Erk! If I said that aloud, the consequences wouldn't be pretty. Best keep an upper beak and swallow those words"

"Chatot? Is something the matter?" Priscilla asked.

"Erm… it appears that there are more expedition members" Chatot said, which got me and Priscilla's hopes up "The others are… Croagunk, Diglett and Dugtrio"

Chatot may as well have stabbed me in the heart with those words. Me and Priscilla were the only Pokemon left who weren't chosen for the expedition. Was Wigglytuff that mad at us?

"Oh and Priscilla and Silvin" Chatot read, then flapped in surprise "What?! That's… that's everyone in the guild!"

"Yup! That's right!" Wigglytuff replied cheerfully.

"Well then, it seems like the whole selection process was meaningless!" Chatot squawked "You've caused everyone unneeded stress! Moreover, if we were to all go, the guild will be left empty!"

"It'll be fine. We'll lock it up properly" Wigglytuff replied easily.

"Guildmaster, I also have some misgivings" Skuntank stepped up "Do you think we have perhaps too many members for an expedition?"

"Hmm… when a friend asks something like that, I have to wonder why…" Wigglytuff said dreamily.

"I mean, first of all, why does everyone have to go?" Skuntank argued "What's the point in having everyone participate?"

"There's strength in numbers you know" Zelot said, tapping his head "The more we bring, the stronger we are. That's the whole reason you brought us and Team Skull here, no?"

"Of course there's a point!" Wigglytuff said, ignoring Zelot "That is… if everyone went, it'll be more fun!"

"F-fun?!" Skuntank backed away in shock "This is a serious expedition I'll have you know!"

"We'll be noisy and excited and having fun!" Wigglytuff continued, not even listening to Skuntank "I started thinking about it and it made me so excited, I couldn't fall asleep!"

"What…?" Skuntank was in utter shock.

"So that's how it is everyone! We're all going on the expedition and it'll be fun, fun fun!" Wigglytuff cheered "Let's all do our best!"

"HOORAY!" everyone cheered.

"Urgh, well that's settled" Chatot regained his calm persona "Fine, let me explain the schedule. Right after this, I'll hold a briefing on the expedition itself"

"As such the chosen members (as in everyone)..." Chatot continued "Each of you should get prepared to embark on the expedition"

"Let me remind that you this is a guild-exclusive expedition" Chatot said "Therefore, recruited members of Chimecho Assembly cannot join us"

"Aw, poor Henry…" Priscilla whispered to me.

"When you are fully prepared for the upcoming journey, return here" Chatot instructed "And inform me of your readiness. That is all. Dismissed!"

Everyone dispersed, heading towards Treasure Town. Priscilla turned to me with a huge smile on her face.

"We got picked Silvin! We got picked!" the Eevee exclaimed, like a child who won their first sports match.

"Wigglytuff continues to surprise me, day after day" I said as Wigglytuff went back into his chambers, presumingly to prepare "Still, I'm glad we got picked. I know you were dying to have the chance to go"

"Eh heh, I just want to see the world past this region" Priscilla rubbed the back of her head, still grinning "Now I'm getting all giddy, just thinking about it!"

"Well, let's hurry on and prepare before everyone comes back" I urged "The more we prepare, the more fun this expedition will be instead of dangerous"

"I'm right behind you!"


	9. Chapter 8: Eastward Adventurers

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 8: Eastward Adventurers

As we headed down the steps towards Treasure Town, a Pelipper flew down with something in his bill.

"The Exploration Team Federation sent you this" the Pelipper informed, dropping the thing in front of us. Before we could ask who the "Exploration Team Federation" was, the Pelipper already flew away, presumingly to deliver more letters and packages.

"This looks like… a bigger treasure bag" I said as I picked it up. I felt something inside and took a look. Inside was another treasure bag, which was the same size as the one Pelipper delivered me.

"Well, I could always use a bigger treasure bag" I swapped the bag slung over my shoulder with the new one and decided to give my old one to Henry. Priscilla took the new bag and sold her old one to Kecleon's Shop.

"Ah yes, I heard that you were chosen for the expedition?" the green Kecleon asked.

Priscilla nodded excitingly.

"Congratulations! I so hope that you do well" the green Kecleon grinned "Now then, do you have anything you need to buy from us?"

We stocked up on apples, Oran Berries, Reviver Seeds, Geo Pebbles and utility seeds. We bought so much that our new treasure bags were already full by the time we were done shopping. Our wages went down quite a lot too.

"Did I just hear that you got chosen on the expedition?" Kangaskhan asked sweetly "Congratulations you two! I'm so proud!"

"Thank YOU as always Ms Kangaskhan" Priscilla replied "Thanks to your storage, we can keep items we may need in the future safe. Can we have access to our storage now?"

"Yes, yes of course" Kangaskhan used a key to open a storage box filled with a bunch of other keys, with black numbers on them "Here it is, 46. You know what to do"

"Thank you Ms Kangaskhan!" me and Priscilla went into the storage room behind Kangaskhan Storage and withdrew some orbs, a couple scarves, bows and Max Elixirs while depositing a couple of our recently-purchased apples and berries to make space. Once our inventory management was finished, we went over to Duskull Bank to deposit our remaining Poke.

"Heh-heh-heh so the two of you were chosen for the expedition?" Duskull asked in his normal ominous tone "Surprising… yet I saw this coming"

"We're here to deposit our Poke" Priscilla handed Duskull a pouch full of Poke, who took it to a wall of safes in the back to store "We'll be back when we need it"

"Of course. Your money will be safe here… forever if need be" Duskull nodded "Safe travels, you two"

Once that was done, we felt ready to go. Before we headed back to the guild though, we visited Henry nearby Sharpedo Bluff.

"I really wish I could go with you guys, but rules are rules" Henry shrugged "I'll be here, roosting and waiting for your return"

"Will you miss us Henry?" I asked, jokingly.

"Well, duh! You're my friends. Friends miss other friends" the Starly replied.

"Don't worry Henry. We'll be back before too long" Priscilla comforted "Then, we can go back to our usual exploring"

"Sounds good. Have fun you two!" Henry waved his gray wing in goodbye "Stay safe!"

"Thanks Henry! We'll see you soon!" both of us waved goodbye to our friend before returning to the guild to meet with Chatot.

"Oh? Are you all ready for the expedition?" Chatot asked.

"Yes, we're good to go!" Priscilla replied.

"The expedition will be a long journey. Are you sure you're prepared to leave?" Chatot pressed.

Priscilla turned to me "Is there anything else we need to do?"

I cupped my hand under my chin "We stocked our treasure bags full of food and items, have our entire storage stocked and our money safely stored away. I think we're good"

"Yes, we're ready then" Priscilla nodded.

"Did you dismiss all your non-guild members?"

"Yep!"

"Good. You appear to be in full readiness" Chatot smiled "Please wait for the other guild members to return, then I'll commence the briefing"

After a short while, everyone returned to the guild and Chatot began his briefing.

"All accounted for, it appears" Chatot noted, checking over everyone on the memo "Well then, let me explain the expedition. The objective it to reach Fogbound Lake"

"Fogbound Lake? Where's that?" Loudred asked.

"Let me continue" Chatot glared at Loudred for a short second before continuing "It's a lake said to be located in the far east, shrouded by fog as the name entails. Since it's covered in such dense fog, the lake's actual existence hasn't been confirmed"

"It is merely a foggy mirage of a spot that still lives to this day on rumor alone" Chatot continued "Rumor has it however… that a treasure of exquisite beauty lies there!"

"Ooh…" everyone started getting excited at the prospect of treasure.

"Yep, it'll be fun, fun, fun!" Wigglytuff said, cheerful and innocent as usual.

"Everyone, open your Wonder Maps" Chatot said.

Each of us spread out our maps and Chatot laid down his own, pointing to a dense forest with fog clouds covering it southeast "First off… this is where Fogbound Lake is said to be"

"Uncharted territory is covered by a cloud cover and the map's imbued with magic to unveil itself whenever a new area is discovered" Chatot informed us.

"How does that work?" I whispered to Priscilla.

"No idea" the Eevee replied.

"Our guild is here" Chatot pointed to Treasure Town which was northwest from Fogbound Lake "As you can see, the lake is a significant distance from the guild. Therefore, we'll encamp at the foot of the highlands here. It'll serve as our base camp"

Chatot pointed to the dense, fog covered forest down south again "If we were to travel all at once as a group, our mobility would be restricted. The strategy is to split up into several groups to travel to the base camp"

"I shall announce those groups now" Chatot continued, referring to his memo "The first group is Sunflora, Diglett, Croagunk and Loudred"

"You guys better NOT hold me back!" Loudred exclaimed.

"You should talk!" Sunflora countered.

"The next group is Dugtrio, Corphish and Chimecho" Chatot continued.

"We're a solid group" Dugtrio said.

"I promise to try my best" Chimecho chimed in.

"Hey, hey, likewise!" Corphish agreed.

"Erm… let's see…" Chatot turned to Wigglytuff "Me and the Guildmaster will travel as a pair. That is acceptable, yes?"

"Aww, I have to go with Chatot?" Wigglytuff slumped "That's so booorrinngg!"

"Please don't be difficult. This is a key element to our strategy" Chatot refuted.

"... Meanie"

"Our guests, Team Skull and Team Alpha will travel on their own as well" Chatot said.

"Understood chaw-ha-ha" Skuntank smirked.

"I understand" Zelot nodded.

"And the final group is Silvin, Priscilla and Bidoof" Chatot concluded.

"We're in the same group! I hope I can keep up. Yup yup!" Bidoof said happily.

"Likewise Bidoof"

"Well then…" Chatot turned our attention back to him "Everyone, let's get to it and move out!"

"HOORAY!"

And thus, the expedition began. We made our way towards the base camp, eventually splitting off to different routes to get there faster. Me, Priscilla and Bidoof ended up taking the southern coastline overlooking the sea. We ended up on a cliffside, with the vast ocean right next to us.

"Wow! The sea is right up this way Silvin!" Priscilla marveled at the sight. The sparkling water gleaming in the afternoon sunlight, the clear blue skies and the waves crashing against the rocks. Truly a breathtaking sight.

"Yup yup! I reckon this is looking more and more like a true expedition!" Bidoof commented "The path ahead surely will get tricky, just like real explorers like to see!"

Bidoof turned to the strange statue behind me "And this is something well known to all us explorers. It's a Kangaskhan Rock"

"A Kangaskhan Rock?"

"As far as I know, the Kagaskhan Rock is imbued with magic, so you can pull items out of your storage whenever you wish" Bidoof explained "Yup yup, it's truly a wonderful thing!"

"Although, I haven't actually USED Kangaskhan Rocks a whole lot, mind you…" Bidoof slumped "So I shouldn't be talking like a big shot"

"No, no, your info is sound enough. You know what you're talking about" Priscilla smiled "For your first expedition, I expected a little more nervousness, not more confidence!"

Bidoof blushed "By golly, I'm nervous alright! This expedition is big for me!"

"Ha ha, same for us too" I laughed "We're all beginners at this. Let's just do our best and focus what's ahead of us. Right now, we need to reach the base camp"

"You're right" Priscilla peered into the cavern in front of us "Hmm, there's two paths here. Which one do we take?"

"There's a sign on each one" Bidoof noted "Let's see… one says "Craggy Coast" and the other "Side Path". By golly, what do we choose?"

"Why don't you choice Silvin? Craggy Coast or Side Path?" Priscilla asked.

"Craggy Coast sounds more official. Let's go there" I decided and Priscilla nodded.

"Craggy Coast it is. Come on, team!"

Craggy Coast, like Drenched Bluff and Waterfall Cave, was filled with Water type Pokemon. Spheal, Krabby and Wingull made up the bulk of the Pokemon encountered here. Dratini, Gastrodon and Sealeo were more rare. As for Bidoof, he was a rather strong combatant. His Headbutts were strong, able to send a Spheal flying to a wall. He could even curl into a ball with Rollout and knock down enemy Pokemon like bowling pins. Using Defense Curl seem to increase the power of Rollout too.

"Wow Bidoof, you're stronger than I thought you would be" I said as I Force Palm'ed a Dratini away "Your strength impresses me"

"Ah shucks, it's nothing compared to you two" Bidoof replied, embarrassed "From what it seems, you two are already professional explorers! I can't even remember to do Sunflora's tactic in fights…"

"Sunflora's tactic?"

"When me and Sunflora explored together once, she lured a enemy Pokemon in by using a regular attack instead of a move. That way, she doesn't waste PP" Bidoof explained "Sunflora is mighty smart, I'd tell you…"

"Hmm… guess I could do the same" an enemy Gastrodon was approaching us from a puddle, watching me closely. I lunged forward with a feint and Gastrodon fell for it, thinking it could get under my guard. However, right when it got close, I slammed my hand into it's face, expelling powerful energy with Force Palm and knocked Gastrodon to the ground.

"Welp, the tactic works" I shook my hand to dispel the leftover energy "I'll have to say thanks to Sunflora later"

We pressed onwards, gathering items, taking down Pokemon and climbing floors in the coast. For a strange reason, Blue Gummis were plentiful here. I found at least three of them lying around. The coast contained other gummis too and in higher amounts than in other dungeons. I found a White Gummi and fed it to Priscilla before Bidoof could steal it (Gummis were THAT delicious apparently) and later, Priscilla picked up a Orange Gummi for me.

"Henry and Bidoof's mouths were watering from the very sight of gummis. Are they really that good?" I wondered aloud before popping it into my mouth. Needless to say, the taste warrented the lust. The Orange Gummi tasted like the sweetest and most delicious candy in a candy store. It had a heavenly flavor of orange in it along with a slight mint to it. It was chewy too, contrary to its appearance being a jelly bean. All my favourite things about food shrunken to a orange jelly bean.

"Well? Is it good?" Priscilla asked, smiling.

"I could think of five words to describe how good it tastes" I remarked "But I'll spare you guys of that. We should be nearing the end of the dungeon now"

On the ninth floor, we came out of Craggy Coast into open air. The sun was just about to set and nighttime upon us.

"Whew… By golly, I reckon we're finally through" Bidoof huffed.

"Yes, but we're still a long way from base camp" Priscilla said, opening the Wonder Map "We're here right now, Mt Horn. We don't have much land left to cover before reaching camp"

"Yes, I reckon we made good progress today" Bidoof said.

"We only need to cross Mt Horn and we'll reach the camp" Priscilla informed "But… nighttime is coming soon and we haven't ate or rested at all. Now would be a good time"

"Let's eat, then get some sleep" I suggested "Set up a watch so we can keep a close eye on each other"

"Good idea. Let's eat then"

"Yeeehaw!"

"I didn't know you were a cowboy Bidoof…"

And so, we ate our dinner on the mountainside. We didn't have Chimecho to cook for us, so we settled on Oran Berries and apples for our meal. Bidoof fell asleep shortly after, draping a baby blue blanket over himself.

"I'll take the first watch. I'll wake you up when I start feeling sleepy" I told Priscilla.

"But what if you get sleepy too early?" Priscilla pouted "I don't want to be woken up minutes after I dozed off!"

"I'll try to stay awake for as long as I can" I assured "Now time for you to get some rest"

"Goodnight Silvin"

"Goodnight Priscilla. Sweet dreams"

"I won't even HAVE dreams before you wake me up"

"Just sleep Priscilla"

While Priscilla and Bidoof slept, I was awake, gazing at the night sky in the torch light. The stars looked beautiful.

"I haven't had a lot of time to think ever since all of this happened" I murmured to myself "The guild's work and life as a Pokemon made me forget I was once human"

I set down the torch, resting my back against a rock "Who turned me into a Pokemon? What life did I have before this? Did I have any family or friends? Am I able to turn back?"

The last question was something I almost rather not know the answer to. I would love to be turned back to my original self, but I'll have to abandon all the friends I've made as a Pokemon. In particular, Priscilla. If I turned back to human, I just knew I wouldn't understand their language anymore. Everyone would be reduced to just saying their name to try and communicate with me.

As much as I wanted to turn back to human, I couldn't leave Priscilla's side and break all the friendships I've made.

"At least the other questions aren't as conflicting" I murmured as my eyelids began to droop "Maybe one day, I could meet someone of my past life. Who knows what they are doing now? Are they looking for me? Are they doing something in my stead?"

"I'm sure that… whoever's looking for you.. is very worried" Priscilla's voice startled me.

"Priscilla! You- you should be getting back to sleep" I kept my voice low as to not wake up Bidoof.

"No, no, it's my shift now. I can hear the tiredness in your voice" Priscilla replied, rising up to wipe her eyes and pull off her blanket "You should get some rest"

"Yeah thanks. When you start feeling sleepy again, wake up Bidoof for his shift" I said as I pulled a black blanket from my treasure bag and draped it over myself, using my treasure bag as a makeshift pillow.

"Sweet dreams Silvin" I felt Priscilla's paw stroking my ears gently before I dozed off.

The next morning, we were ready to set out again.

"Alright everyone, time to get moving" Priscilla said "Crossing Mt Horn will take us to the base camp"

"Let's get it done then!" Bidoof went over to the mountain entrance, then frowned "Golly, there's another split path here!"

"What are the options?" I asked.

"There's two signs. One says "Mt Horn" and the other "Rock Path"" Bidoof replied.

"Obviously Mt Horn is the right path to go. It's the name of the mountain" Priscilla pointed out "So Mt Horn it is"

We quickly did some inventory management via the Kangaskhan Rock, then went into Mt Horn. Mt Horn was a far cry from Craggy Coast. Like how Craggy Coast was like Drenched Bluff and Waterfall Cave, Mt Horn was like Mt Bristle. The dungeon contained a lot of Bug Pokemon like Ariados, Venomoth, Pineco and Parasect. The Venomoth in particular were hair-pulling levels of annoying. They had a move called Silver Wind which caused a breeze of white wind to sweep the room Venomoth was in, hitting me, Priscilla and Bidoof all at once. Even worse, Venomoth can attack us with it from across the room. Even worser worse, every once in a while, Venomoth's Silver Winds came out faster and stronger. We had to expend two Reviver Seeds on Priscilla and Bidoof to keep them alive. In the end, we decided to avoid the Venomoths altogether.

"It's like Mt Bristle again where we avoided the Starly" Priscilla remarked "Except Venomoth is much worse since they can strike us from an entire room away"

"And the Aerodactyl…" I shuddered "Those things are worse than a flock of Starly"

The rocky bird Pokemon took me out with a single Wing Attack. Luckily, Priscilla revived me with a Reviver Seed and I took it out with a Force Palm, but we were getting low on Revivers. Any sooner and we'll have an actual death on our hands.

"We should prioritize getting out of here at all costs" Priscilla said "We're low on Reviver Seeds and we can't risk death by the Venomoths or Aerodactyls any longer. Just avoid them and try not to get in their sight"

"I hear you" Bidoof slammed a Natu against a mountainside with Headbutt, then assumed a defensive stance with Defense Curl to shield against a Parasect's Slash.

"Ugh, please tell me we'll never come back to this place again" I muttered as I Quick Attack'ed a Natu, then Force Palm'ed a Bonsly "I feel like I'm being hunted by the Aerodactyls and Venomoths"

"We're nothing more than prey to them, so you aren't wrong" Priscilla replied as she evaded a Shrommish's Absorb, then countered with Tackle "We need to resolve these skirmishes quick. Before the Aerodactyl and Venomoth notice"

"I know I'm trying!" I gritted my teeth as I smacked away two Shroomish with Quick Attack "Ugh, forget it! Just run!"

We made a mad dash through the hallways, ignoring any little Pokemon that wasn't big enough to stand in our way. We eventually made it to floor 12, where we decided to take a break since we've been running full sprint since floor 9.

"Phew… never thought… I would… run this much… in my life…!" Bidoof panted as he caught his breath. He pulled an apple from his bag and chomped on it, consuming it in only two bites before spitting out the core. I was about to move before Priscilla pulled me back.

"I hear wings flapping… two of them" Priscilla said quietly. Then it dawned on me. There were two hallways in our room, one leading north and the other east.

"One's coming from the right and the other's coming from the north" Priscilla said "Which means…"

"Venomoth and Aerodactyl will surround us" I said bluntly "Can you tell which hallway has Aerodactyl and which has Venomoth?"

"All I can hear is flapping. I don't know which one sounds heavier and which one sounds lighter" Priscilla replied "But if I had to take a guess, then Venomoth's in the right hallway"

"Charge there then. Venomoth's easier to knock out than Aerodactyl" I said "Let's go!"

We charged down the right hallway. Before Venomoth could even react, I slammed into it with Quick Attack, knocking it to the floor. Bidoof bashed Venomoth's head with Headbutt, knocking it out cold. Arriving in the next room, we found the staircase.

"Nice! We found the stairs-" I was interrupted when an Aerodactyl suddenly swooped in and slashed me across the chest with Wing Attack, ripping my body open. I collapsed in a pool of my own blood.

"Silvin!" Priscilla searched frantically for a Reviver Seed while Bidoof held off the Aerodactyl. Aerodactyl summoned a rock out of thin air and threw it at Bidoof with Rock Throw. The brown rodent simply curled into a ball with Defense Curl and lessened the attack's power. Aerodactyl followed up with a strong Wing Attack, but Bidoof dodged and prepared to use Rollout. He curled tighter into a ball and rolled towards Aerodactyl, slamming into the rocky bird with powerful force. The enemy Pokemon crashed against the wall, out cold. Priscilla finally found a Reviver Seed in my bag and force fed me it, mending the large gash across my chest.

"Thank you" I struggled to stand up, but eventually mustered enough strength to make it up the stairs. We were lucky enough to appear in the room with the stairs leading up to the next floor, which took us to the entrance of a foggy forest. Several Wigglytuff-designed tents were set up around the area.

"Phew… we did it! We got over Mt Horn!" Bidoof exclaimed triumphantly "We finally made it! Yes siree! We've arrived at base camp!"

We came into the forest clearing to find everyone already here.

"Howdy, folks! Sorry to keep you waiting!" Bidoof announced.

"You all are late! Everyone already arrived here a long time ago!" Chatot squawked, irritated "Now that everyone's assembled, let's get on with our strategy briefing"

"Yes sirree!" Bidoof nodded and everyone headed further into the forest. I however, stayed back because of a strange nausea I was feeling.

"Hm? Something the matter Silvin?" Priscilla asked.

For some reason, this place felt incredibly familiar to me. I couldn't place it, but I absolutely knew that I've been here before. Did I come here before I lost my memories? Before I could ponder furthur, Chatot flapped his wings in irritation.

"Come on, come on, we haven't had all day!" Chatot called.

"Let's go Silvin. You can tell me what's wrong later" Priscilla urged and we took off, following the guild.

"Erm… attention please" Chatot began "It appears everyone has arrived to our base safe and sound. We shall now proceed with the exploration of Fogbound Lake!"

Chatot turned to stare at the forest ahead "As you can see, we're in a densely forested area. Somewhere within this forest, Fogbound Lake is supposed concealed. But so far, that has been nothing but a rumor"

"Exploration teams of all stripes have mounted many a challenge, but so far the lake has eluded discovery" Chatot continued.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Corphish piped up and everyone turned to him "Hey, hey, so is it really there or what? This Fogbound Lake?"

"Silly Corphish. You'll wreck the dream if you say something like that" Sunflora chided cheerfully.

"Yeah! Don't spoil things now!" Loudred agreed.

"Hey, hey…" Corphish slumped in defeat.

"Um, may I?" everyone turned their attention to Chimecho "While we were travelling, I heard about a certain legend"

"A legend you say?" Chatot said, intrigued.

"Yes, a legend about Fogbound Lake" Chimecho continued "According to the legend, Fogbound Lake is home to a Pokemon named Uxie. The Pokemon is said to be exceedingly rare"

"Ah, that legend" Zelot cupped his hand under his chin "The one about how Uxie locks eyes others and wipes their memories clean"

"Oh shush dear Zelot" Sara laughed "You'll frighten the children if you say that"

"Of course, it's only a legend" Zelot reminded all of us "That's not saying it's fact"

"Wipe their memories clean…?" I thought, then it all came down on me. If Uxie could lock eyes with someone and erase their memories, that meant I must of met Uxie as a human and had my memories wiped! But that didn't answer the question of who turned me into a Pokemon.

"But if the legend's true, it explains why Fogbound Lake has never been discovered yet" Chimecho said "Uxie would wipe their memories clean and thereby muzzle travellers from revealing the existence of the lake. That's how Uxie protects the lake"

"Golly, that's a pretty hair raising tale" Bidoof shivered "But does it still remain?"

"I've been told it does" Chimecho replied "So if said legend's true, we'll be walking forward just to come back empty handed"

"What will I DO if my memory gets wiped?" Loudred asked.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that" Sunflora replied "After all, you're so forgetful anyway, you make me go eek!"

"Oof, low blow there Sunflora…" I said.

"Ahem" Chatot returned our attention to him "You should realize that places of this sort can be expected to have a folktale or legend attached to them. Our guild has overcome difficult challenges and obstacles when conducting successful explorations"

"Absolutely!" Sunflora piped up.

"That's how our guild has earned a reputation for being first class" Dugtrio agreed.

"Ha ha ha! Don't worry, everything will be alright!" Wigglytuff cheered "Let's believe in success for this adventure!"

Chatot assessed all of us "Let's move on with our plan. The Guildmaster and I will remain here to gather intelligence from our teams on the field. You are to go off teams to explore this forest. Be aware that this forest is enshrouded by deep fog. Once you enter, visibility will be severely reduced"

"We think that Fogbound Lake has defied discovery because of this fog" Chatot continued "Perhaps there is a way to lift this fog. Therefore, you search is twofold. Find Fogbound Lake and find a way to lift the fog. If you accomplish either task, returned to base to inform me and the Guildmaster. That is all"

"Alright everyone, let's give it our best, as always!" Chatot called.

"HOORAY!"

Croagunk, Sunflora, Bidoof, Corphish and Loudred all went ahead into the forest. Dugtrio and Diglett disappeared beneath the ground.

"Well then, we should go too. Chaw-ha-ha" Skuntank told Zubat and Koffing.

"Heh-heh-heh!"

"Whoa-ho-ho"

And Team Skull left as well.

"We need to hurry too Silvin" Priscilla said "Come on, let's go!"

"I know this place" I thought to myself "According to the legend, the Pokemon Uxie can wipe the memories of others. My amnesia and the legend… are the two things really just a coincidence?"

"Maybe I came here before…" I thought "And met Uxie. He wiped my memories clean. Could that have happened?"

"Hey Silvin, Priscilla!" Zelot's voice broke me out of my thoughts. We turned and saw the Gallade and Mismagius coming towards us.

"Oh, Zelot and Sara!" Priscilla greeted "What can we do for you?"

"We just came to ask if you could join us in exploring the forest" Zelot said, rubbing the back of his head "Truth be told, both of us have terrible senses of direction. Having four of us will make us stronger too"

"You two seem really stronger already though. Do you really need our help?" Priscilla asked.

"We're not invincible Priscilla. You could always get caught off guard" Zelot replied "That's why I ask you two to come with us. Not only can we keep you safe, you can keep us safe too"

"Please Priscilla and Silvin. It'll benefit all of us if you come" Sara pleaded.

"Alright, we'll come with you" I decided and Priscilla nodded "Come on. Let's get moving as fast as we could"

"Best idea I've heard all day" Zelot smiled "Come then. Fogbound Forest awaits!"

"You're too dramatic Zelot…"

 _Our party:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 18_

 _Moves: Force Palm, Quick Attack, Bite and Counter_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 17_

 _Moves: Tackle, Quick Attack, Sand Attack and Helping Hand_

 _IQ Level: **_

 **And that was the first expedition chapter, covering Craggy Coast and Mt Horn. From this point onward, I'd adding a "Our party" list after the chapter ends to let you guys know what level our heroes are as well as their moves. The Side Path and Rock Path are optional dungeons just for experience that lead you back to the crossroad of Craggy Coast/Mt Horn. For the sake of not dragging out the chapter, I decided to ignore the two paths. In the next chapter, we'll be tackling Foggy Forest along with Steam Cave, so favorite and follow if you want to know when the next chapter comes out. Also review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!**


	10. Chapter 9: Heart of Groudon

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 9: Heart of Groudon

"Huh? What's this?" Priscilla noticed something shiny on the ground and picked it up. It looked to be a bright red crystal pyramid.

"Strange, the stone's kinda hot" Priscilla noted as she rubbed her paw around the mysterious object "It's like heat is coming off of it"

"Let's keep it and investigate it later" I suggested and Priscilla nodded, tucking the stone into her treasure bag. We came into a clearing with two pathways.

"Oh that's odd. There's two roads here" Sara said as she examined the two wooden signs leading into the woods "One said "Foggy Forest" and the other "Forest Path". Which way shall we go?"

"Foggy Forest obviously. Every other "path" we took lead us back to the beginning" Zelot replied, turning to the Foggy Forest path "Unless we want to miss out on the treasure, Foggy Forest is the right way to go"

"I agree completely Zelot. Let's move everyone!" Priscilla nodded and all four of us charged into the Foggy Forest. Foggy Forest was obviously shrouded in fog, making the enemy Pokemon hard to discern and attack. As expected of a forest-like area, the enemy Pokemon were mostly Grass type, ranging from Skiploom to Breloom. There was also a high amount of Normal type Pokemon here too, with Smergles, Hoothoots, Dunsparces and Stantlers. Luckily, Zelot was an expert at defeating Normal types.

"How long have you two been a team for?" Priscilla asked as we walked down a hallway in the dungeon "You two seem to synergize well together"

"Well, we've been together ever since we were children" Zelot answered as he slammed his fist into a Stantler with Brick Break, knocking it out "Me and Sara are childhood friends"

"Chatot said you two were a bounty hunter team" I continued as I Quick Attack'ed a Smergle "Does that mean you only take outlaw capture jobs?"

"It's a long story and I hope you don't mind us telling it while we're exploring" Zelot began "Me and Sara lived in a small village down south. A group of rogue Pokemon came to the village one day and attacked, killing my father and Sara's mother"

Zelot stopped to dodge a Pinsir's Horn Attack and retaliated with Psycho Cut, allowing Sara to finish Pinsir with Psywave.

"We were really torn up about it and wanted to take revenge ourselves, but a group of bounty hunters were passing by as the rogues attacked the village" Zelot continued "They defeated the bandits and turned them into the police. Since then, they were me and Sara's inspiration to become bounty hunters"

"So you can say we have a lot of experience fighting!" Sara laughed while summoning a torrent of leaves with Magical Leaf to pepper a duo of Stantler and Pachirisu "We haven't had a proper hunt for treasure in years!"

"This expedition is the first treasure hunt we had in awhile" Zelot added "I heard the guild has a reputation for bringing back large amounts of treasure every time they head out on an expedition. I want to see that firsthand"

"There is so much thrill in finding treasure, you know" Sara continued "Whether it be a chest of gold, dazzling jewels or a rare item!"

Priscilla watched the two Pokemon in awe. No wonder they were such a synergetic team. Since they were together since childhood, Zelot and Sara can even finish each other's sentences.

"Have you two… ever considered starting a family?" Priscilla asked that without shame "You two seem to be made for each other"

"Ah ha, we're still thinking about it" Zelot took it easily and grinned "Despite what you may think, we're lifelong friends. Lovers, not yet"

"A life as an explorer or hunter is full of surprises" Sara said "You never know what will happen next and that's what makes it so fun!"

We continued onwards in silence for the next few floors, usually trying to keep our guard up to avoid ambushes.

"The fog combined with the high treetops make it easy to get ambushed" Zelot warned "Be careful at all times"

"Got it" I nodded before noticing a sudden movement from a tree. I stopped walking and took a step back, before Sara shouted.

"Silvin! Get back!"

I immediately dashed backwards into Priscilla as a Breloom slammed its fist into the earth with Mach Punch. If Sara didn't cry out, I would of gotten my skull smashed. The Breloom dug it's fist out from the dirt, but not before I struck it hard in the face with Force Palm, sending it flying backwards. Sara rose above us and launched Shadow Ball at the enemy Pokemon, taking it down.

"Phew, that was close. REALLY close" I sighed as I regained my footing.

"Too close perhaps. Here, let me swap position with Priscilla, so I could cover you and Sara can cover Priscilla" Zelot suggested as we swapped position to protect each other. The strategy worked near the last floors, where Brelooms and Pinsirs were more plentiful. If I didn't have Zelot's protection, I would of been impaled and crushed at least four times. That wouldn't be good for our Reviver Seeds.

"Hey! I hear water back there!" Sara exclaimed.

"You can hear water?" I asked as I threw a Blast Seed at a Zigzagoon, blasting it backwards "Like a waterfall?"

"Yeah, I hear the rushing of water. We should be near the end of the dungeon!" Sara said cheerfully "Come on!"

We wrapped up our skirmishes and followed Sara to a staircase leading to the next floor. We arrived in a clearing, with torrents of water crashing down from the sky into large water-filled holes. The sound of this downpour was strangely soothing.

"Wow, the water's coming down in waterfalls all over the place!" Priscilla marvelled, taking in the sight with amazement.

"The question is though, is this the deepest part of the forest?" Zelot asked, gazing at our surroundings "It doesn't seem like a mystery dungeon anymore but…"

"It's hard to tell" I squinted into the fog "The fog's so thick that I can't tell where we can go"

"Hey, hey, hey!" suddenly we heard Corphish's voice up ahead.

"Oh hey, it's Corphish!" we walked up to meet with the crab Pokemon, who was looking around for clues.

"Hey, hey, did you guys find any clues?" Corphish asked "Like how to lift the fog or find Fogbound Lake?"

"No, nothing yet" Priscilla informed "What about you Corphish?"

"I've got nothing here either. Don't let it get you down" Corphish replied, snapping his claws "But… there's something interesting here you might want to look at"

Corphish led us towards a gray limestone statue half-buried in the ground.

"Whoa that's…" Priscilla was at a loss for words "That's one big statue. Is is depicting a Pokemon?"

"I have no idea. If it did, then it would be a very big Pokemon hey, hey…" Corphish replied absently.

"Do you know what this statue depicts?" I asked Zelot and Sara. The Gallade and Mismagius both shook their heads.

"In all my years of travel, I've never seen this kind of creature before" Zelot said, stroking his chin as he observed the statue "I could be an exceedingly rare Pokemon like Uxie"

"Hmm…" Priscilla inspected the statue, checking all visible area before her eyes went wide.

"Oh hey! There's something inscribed here" Priscilla stared at a stone plate indented into the side of the statue's base. It seems to be written in footprints.

"Footprint runes huh?" Zelot said as he stared at the inscription, trying to decipher it "That means…"

"... this statue is very old" Sara finished "Footprint runes was the way of communicating before everyone started speaking English"

"My grandpa used to speak to me in footprint runes when he was still alive" Zelot reminisced "Never understood him"

"Well, lucky for all of us, I studied footprint runes before" Priscilla grinned before staring at the plate again, murmuring to herself.

"Let's see… "Reignite the life that burned within Groudon. Then the sky shall blaze with the sun's heat. The path to treasure shall be revealed"" Priscilla said before stepping back "Reignite the life that burned within Groudon…"

"So Groudon's the one depicted on this statue" I noted as I took in Groudon's shape "He looks to be one mighty big Pokemon"

"You're starting to speak like Bidoof" Priscilla joked before turning to inspect the front of the statue "It says that the "path to treasure shall be revealed" when we "reignite the life that burned within Groudon" and "blaze the sky with the sun's heat" What could that all mean?"

"Hm, it's a hard puzzle to solve, that's for sure" Zelot said.

"Hmm… Ah!" Priscilla turned to me "Silvin, put your hands on the statue. Maybe you can get a vision!"

"A vision? Silvin can do that?" Sara asked in surprise.

"Hey, hey, you never told us that!" Corphish exclaimed.

"Sorry, there was never a good time to" Priscilla said sheepishly "Silvin here has the power to see into the past or future by touching something related to it. Come on Silvin, touch the statue"

I did as Priscilla commanded and rested my two hands onto the statue's base. Not before long, the familiar nausea kicked in.

"Here we go…" I thought as my vision began to blur away. In the darkness, I only heard two voices.

"That's it!"

"It's here! It's here!"

Then my vision returned and the nausea faded.

"Huh? That was it?" I thought, but then the nausea returned "Ugh, again? So soon?"

"I see! Place the Drought Stone in Groudon's heart" said the voice I heard in the last vision "That lifts the fog! Very well done! Good job, partner!"

Then I returned to reality.

"Did you see anything Silvin?" Priscilla asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. I let go of the statue and explained what I heard. After my retelling, everyone stared at the statue, thinking.

"Place the Drought Stone in Groudon's heart" Priscilla recited thoughtfully "Wait a second…"

"That stone you picked up at the start of the dungeon!" Zelot realized it too "I think that's the Drought Stone!"

"Exactly what you're thinking Zelot!" Priscilla pulled the warm red pyramid from her treasure bag and headed to the front of the statue "Place the Drought Stone in Groudon's heart. The heart must be near the chest…"

Priscilla inspected the front for a little before exclaiming "Ah ha! There's a small hole in Groudon's chest!"

"Does the stone fit into it?" Sara asked.

"Only one way to find out" Priscilla inserted the scarlet stone into the hole, then hopped away as the statue began shaking. It's empty gray eyes flashed red and the earth around us began shaking.

"Everyone get back!" Zelot shouted as the entire statue glowed white before flashing in a brilliant light. When the light faded, the fog around us was completely lifted.

"Hey, hey, the fog's gone!" Corphish exclaimed.

"The sky clear… and the sunlight harsh" Priscilla said "Blaze the sky with the sun's heat. That's what it meant!"

Sara looked into the sky "Hey, look at this everyone!"

All of us followed Sara's gaze and gasped.

"So this is what the fog was hiding…" Priscilla murmured "It's no wonder Fogbound Lake evaded discovery for all this time. We all thought the lake was on the ground, but it's actually high in the air!"

Right above us was a huge mass of land, with water falling down the edges like a waterfall. A smaller, taller island was in the center, clearly the root of all the water coming down here.

"So you're saying that Fogbound Lake is up there? Hey, hey?" Corphish asked, amazed.

"Yes, Fogbound Lake HAS to be up there" Priscilla assured "After all, this is what the fog covered the entire time!"

"I'll go tell the guild this!" Corphish nodded "You four go on ahead!"

"Alright, we'll see you soon Corphish!" I called as the crab Pokemon took off.

"Let's go everyone. To Fogbound Lake!" Priscilla cheered before a familiar voice stopped us.

"Hold it!"

"Oh no, not you three again…" I groaned as I turned around and found Skuntank, Koffing and Zubat all smirking at us.

"What are you brutes doing here?!" Priscilla demanded.

"Good job chaw-ha-ha!" Skuntank congratulated.

"Whoa-ho-ho you solved the mystery. You're no longer any use to us!" Koffing laughed.

"Heh-heh-heh we'll swipe the treasure, thanks to you!" Zubat cackled.

"You fiends! That's why you joined the expedition! You planned this all along!" Priscilla shouted, fuming.

"Whoa-ho-ho you expected anything less?" Koffing asked, his tone mocking.

"Chaw-ha-ha I'm sorry to say this but…" Skuntank bristled, ready to fight "We'll have to get rid of you right here!"

"We'll make you eat those words!" Priscilla countered "We'll stop you from getting to Fogbound Lake!"

"Chaw-ha-ha! You already forgotten our last showdown?" Skuntank laughed wildly "Let me remind you how you lost to Koffing and me… with another noxious gas combo!"

"I never trusted you three ever" Zelot's voice was as hard as steel "If this is your true intentions, then me and Sara will show no mercy in stopping you!"

"Oh ho, bring it on then. Bring it on" Skuntank dared "We'll stop you all the same!"

Skuntank and Koffing got in front of us while Zubat stayed back.

"Chaw-ha-ha You're destined to fail again!" Skuntank taunted "Enough talking! Take this!"

"Not so fast!" Zelot's arm glowed with pink psychic power as he was about to unleash Psycho Cut, but he and Skuntank were interrupted by the most unlikely person.

"Waah! Wait! Wait for me!" Wigglytuff suddenly came into the scene, chasing a Perfect Apple that was rolling across the ground.

"W-what?!" Zubat cried in alarm.

"Perfect Apple! Perfect Apple!" Wigglytuff came in between of us and grabbed his apple "I finally caught you! My Perfect Apple!"

"Guildmaster?! What are you doing here?" Sara asked, shocked.

"If my Perfect Apple went away, I would…" Wigglytuff continued as if he never heard Sara "I would… sniffle…"

Then Wigglytuff realized we were watching him in a mix of shock and awe.

"Oh? Oh-oh?" Wigglytuff turned to us "Oh you four! And my friends as well! Everyone's together! Yay-yay!"

"G-Guildmaster, wh-what are you doing here?" Skuntank repeated Sara's question.

"Huh? What am I doing?" Wigglytuff turned to Skuntank "Well, I was taking a walk in the forest and my Perfect Apple rolled away. I ran and ran and ran and here I am!"

"Oh yes!" Wigglytuff turned to us "You four shouldn't be dawdling here, should you?"

"What?!"

"You have a job to do, right? To the explore the forest right? Go on then, off you go!" Wigglytuff said brightly.

"Guildmaster, we have to tell you that we found Fogbound Lake!" Zelot reminded Wigglytuff "We don't need to explore the forest anymore!"

"The mission was to explore the forest right? You should be doing that!" Wigglytuff ignored Zelot completely "Go on, listen to your Guildmaster"

"But we-"

"You're not going to listen? Booooo! Booo!"

"Ugh, this is absurd. Everyone, let's go" I noticed a small landslide happening in the midst of Wigglytuff's interruption and headed to the right with our team to investigate.

"Good luck!" Wigglytuff cheered behind me. He was totally fooled. We weren't exploring the forest. We were going to Fogbound Lake.

"Oh I hope we get some good news soon!" Wigglytuff said to himself after we left "La la la la!"

Wigglytuff continued singing until Skuntank began looking uncomfortable.

"Um, Guildmaster…" Skuntank interrupted Wigglytuff's daydreaming.

"Hm? What's the matter, friend?" Wigglytuff asked curiously.

"We were thinking that we should go explore as well" Skuntank suggested.

"Oh?!" Wigglytuff jumped in surprise, then shook his head "That's all right! I can't trouble my friends like that! We'll let those four do the exploring. Let's just wait for the report"

Wigglytuff returned to his skipping and singing, which left Skuntank fuming.

"This is really starting to get weird…" Zubat whispered to Skuntank.

"Team Skylar is going to get to the treasure first if we don't do something" Koffing murmured "What do we do?"

"We have no choice" Skuntank muttered "We have to take down Wigglytuff right now. Then we'll chase down Team Skylar"

"Do you really think that's right?" Zubat asked.

"Wigglytuff is like, really creepy. You don't know what he can do" Koffing continued.

"Don't worry about it. Wigglytuff is no big deal" Skuntank replied "Besides, rumor has it that Wigglytuff is holding an incredibly valuable treasure"

"Oh really? Treasure?" Zubat asked excitingly.

"That's right. I was planning on mugging him for it eventually, but now's a good opportunity" Skuntank said, then whispered to Koffing "Hey Koffing. Prepare the noxious gas combo"

"Hey Wigglytuff, want to see a magic trick?" Skuntank called and Wigglytuff turned, a silly grin on his face.

"Ooh, a magic trick?! Show me, show me!"

"No hard feelings" Skuntank said in a low voice with a dark smile "But the great, famous explorer Wigglytuff… dies now!"

 _Our party:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 20_

 _Moves: Force Palm, Quick Attack, Bite and Counter_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 19_

 _Moves: Tackle, Bite, Quick Attack and Sand Attack_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Zelot, Gallade_

 _Level 24_

 _Moves: Psycho Cut, Brick Break, Night Slash and Leaf Blade_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Sara, Mismagius_

 _Level 22_

 _Moves: Shadow Ball, Magical Leaf, Psywave and Confuse Ray_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **And Foggy Forest is done! Zelot and Sara officially join our party and we discover the secret of Fogbound Lake. Next chapter is Steam Cave along with the illusion Groudon battle, so favorite and follow if you want to be notified when the next chapter comes out. Also review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 10: Radiant Wings

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 10: Radiant Wings

"Hey! What's up there?" I lead our group towards a large fissure in the base of a mountain. Steam rose out from holes on the hill's exterior.

"Do you think this appeared when we activated the Groudon statue?" Priscilla wondered aloud, surveying the cavern entrance "Look, another sign"

"It says "Steam Cave"" Zelot noted "Fitting, since there's all this steam coming off the mountain"

"Maybe it leads up to Fogbound Lake!" Sara said excitingly "Come on, let's go!"

"Give us some time to prepare!" Priscilla laughed before we went to the Kangaskhan Rock next to the cave entrance to organize our inventory. When we were done, we entered Steam Cave.

Meanwhile back at the statue…

Zubat came up to Skuntank, who was glaring at Wigglytuff intensely "Psst… Hey Chief! What's going on? Something wrong?"

"Chief… Hey Chief…" Koffing whispered "You've been staring him down for how long now…?"

"C'mon" Koffing urged "Let's you and I give him a double dose of the ol noxious gas…"

"Shh! Shut your yap!" Skuntank snapped.

"Dear friends! What's wrong?" Wigglytuff asked curiously "You're making such scary faces at me. I thought you were showing me a magic trick!"

"Bah, this guy's tough… really tough" Skuntank growled.

"I get it! You're trying to make me laugh with silly faces!" Wigglytuff grinned "I bet I can make you laugh too!"

Wigglytuff opened his mouth wide and pulled down on his eyes "Blabba! Blabba! Blapp! Blobba! Blobba! Blopp!"

"C'mon Chief…" Koffing gritted his teeth in unease "I can't take this anymore. This whole scene is freaking me out…"

"Okay then… this isn't working and we're out of options…" Skuntank steeled himself "Hey Wigglytuff!"

"Whatiswhatiswhatiswhat… what is it?" Wigglytuff let go of his eyes and closed his mouth.

"Hey, no hard feelings but…" Skuntank grinned darkly "You're going down! A double dose from me and Koffing… prepare to die!"

Koffing and Skuntank reared back, then unleashed a cloud of powerful purple gas right into Wigglytuff's face.

Steam Cave was, as the name implied, steamy. Which meant it was hot, humid and filled to the brim with Fire type Pokemon. Luckily, no one in our ground was weak to Fire types, which was good because we were running out of Reviver Seeds in both our bag and storage. We only had two left.

"Be careful of the Slugma here" Zelot cautioned "Their bodies are made of pure lava, so don't make contact with them"

"I can attack from a distance with Shadow Ball, Psywave or Magical Leaf, so leave them to me!" Sara smiled.

In addition to the Fire types in Steam Cave like Slugma, Magby and Numel, there was also a number of Bug and Normal types strangely. Snubbull, Farfetch'd, Yanma and Kricketune were all plentiful here. I dodged a Farfetch'd's Leaf Blade and struck back with Force Palm, sending the Pokemon backwards. I finished it off with a Quick Attack and saw something sparkling on the ground. I picked it up and found that it was a disc case with a orange disc inside. The words "Focus Punch" were written on the top.

"Huh? What's this?" I showed the case to Zelot, who just finished a skirmish with two Magby.

"Oh, looks like you found a TM Silvin" Zelot said as he took the disc case to investigate "Apparently, you can use the discs inside TMs to learn new moves. How it works, I have no idea"

"Maybe I can try it out now" I opened the case and took the Focus Punch TM out. I stared at the disc, looking at my reflection before the disc began to heat up suddenly.

"Yow! What the-" I dropped the disc in surprise, but it disappeared once it hit the floor. Suddenly, I had a nagging desire to learn Focus Punch, but had to throw away another move in return. I concentrated and forcibly forgot Counter somehow, granting me Focus Punch's power.

"I should of mentioned that the TMs WORK, but I have no idea HOW they work" Zelot smiled "But nevertheless, you learned Focus Punch. Want to give it a try?"

"Let's see what it can do" I spotted a Snubbull around the corner and ran towards it, orange light surrounding my fist. The Snubbull noticed and lunged at me with Headbutt, but I ignored the pain and focused as my fist began to feel hot with energy, as if someone was pressing hot iron against my skin. I couldn't take it anymore and unleashed the attack at Snubbull. My fist collided with the Pokemon's face and sent it flying straight towards a wall, burying the poor Snubbull into the earth. After the adrenaline worn off, I looked at my hand in shock. Smoke curled off the edges of my wrist, but nothing seemed broken. I unleashed an attack capable of shattering boulders and my hand was nothing more than smoking.

"Nicely done Silvin" Zelot stared at the hole I made where Snubbull was buried in "Focus Punch can really help in the future if it carries THIS much power"

"Urk, don't expect me to do it all the time" I clutched my hand in pain "Even though I felt no recoil from the attack, I feel… so tired now…"

"That's the cost for such powerful moves" Zelot helped me to not stumbled and eventually just carried me back to Priscilla and Sara, who went ahead to find the stairs "The PP limit of moves like this is usually five"

I sighed "I think I can only manage two per day"

"You need to learn and master a move before it comes natural to you" Zelot replied "You may be only able to unleash two Focus Punchs in a day, but in time, you can do more. At least as much as the PP allows you to"

"Just have to keep… practicing" I yawned "With great power, comes great need to take a nap"

Zelot laughed "You'll get your time for a nap after this adventure. Pray tell though, where did you get that quote from?"

"You knew it was a quote?" I smiled contentedly in Zelot's arms "It was from a book I read once"

"Really now? What book was it?" the Gallade asked as he Night Slash'ed a Farfetch'd with his free arm.

"I don't remember what it was… give me a moment…?"

"You can think about it when we rest" Zelot promised "There's the stairs"

"Phew, looks like we made it pretty high up" Priscilla said when she noticed me and Zelot coming up the stairs to the rest point "Hey Zelot! Is Silvin okay?"

"He's fine. Just tired from using his first Focus Punch" the Gallade let me down and I wobbled, trying to regain my footing. Priscilla laughed and helped me sit down in front of the Kangaskhan Rock. The ground beneath us was hot, like sitting on top of a frying pan.

"We must be getting close to the top" Priscilla dug out an apple and gave it to me to eat "We should get going soon so we can get the treasure!"

"GRRROOOOO…!"

The sudden roar shook the cavern and made me drop my apple in surprise.

"Huh? What was that?!" Priscilla looked ahead, but nothing that pointed the source of the roar.

"GRRROOOOO…!"

"Hmm… something must be ahead" Sara thought aloud "But are we going to let that stop us now?"

"No. We came this far to get the treasure and nothing's going to stop us!" Priscilla said, determined "Is everyone ready to move?"

"You sure are enthusiastic today…" I finished my apple and managed to stand "I think I'll recover before we reach the end. I'm ready to go"

"No more Focus Punchs" Zelot laughed "One more and you're liable to collapse"

"Don't worry, I don't think I can muster the energy to" I replied, albeit a bit woozy "I'm fine everyone. Let's go"

Upper Steam Cave as it was called had more powerful Pokemon than Steam Cave. Granbull, the evolved form of Snubbull were commonplace here. Illumise and Volbeat were here too and they are annoying because they constantly flew away and used Moonlight whenever they were wounded, healing them. I had to use a combo of Bite and Quick Attack to take them down. The real fear of Upper Steam Cave were the Magmar, who unleashed devastating Flamethrowers at anyone who stood in their way. Even Zelot, a veteran fighter, winced at the sight of a Magmar. We decided to avoid them altogether, although we were still wary of them since Magmar can fire Flamethrowers from across the room like snipers.

"Ugh, I can understand why more powerful Pokemon hang out here" Sara stiffened "It's more hot and humid here than back down in Steam Cave. You need to be very strong to survive in conditions like this"

"If this place is so warm, then why do Bug Pokemon hang out here?" I asked as I did my Bite Quick Attack combo on a fleeing Volbeat "This seems like the place they would go if they want to be roasted by a Magmar"

"Who knows? Perhaps they have gotten used to the conditions" Zelot suggested "Even if this place is a bane to Bug Pokemon themselves, I don't see any discomfort in the Illumise or Volbeat"

"It's certainly strange" Priscilla said while flinging a Geo Pebble to knock a Magmar out "They could be something atop this mountain that attract these two"

"Guess we'll never know" I shrugged.

We advanced up the floors of Upper Steam Cave and eventually reached the seventh floor.

"GROOOOOOO!"

"The roaring is getting louder" Priscilla noted as she paced the ground "That must be we're at the summit"

We walked into the room containing the stairs when suddenly, a whole legion of Magmar fell from the ceiling!"

"What in the-" Priscilla couldn't finish her sentence as the Magmar began to attack.

"Monster House!" Zelot cried, pulling us back "Fall back and take them on one at a time!"

And so we did, dealing with each Magmar individually. We swapped positions whenever one of us got too injured to continue. We worn down the crowd of enemy Pokemon, but more took their place.

"Make a break through the Magmar!" Zelot commanded "Head for the stairs! We'll stay back!"

"No! You're coming with us!" Priscilla protested.

"Don't worry about us! We'll be fine!" Sara assured as she Shadow Ball'ed another line of Pokemon "Go! We'll be back for you!"

"Come on Priscilla! We don't have another chance!" I grabbed Priscilla by leg and ran towards the staircase leading up to the summit.

"Zelot and Sara can take care of themselves" I comforted as Priscilla continued glancing back, probably wondering if she should stay or continue going "They are strong Pokemon, stronger than us. They can handle themselves"

"Right… Yes you're right" Priscilla closed her eyes and took a deep breath "They're holding off the enemy for us. Now it's our job to get the treasure"

On the summit, we found ourselves in an empty mountain field, with tall rocks shaped like spears nearby.

"This place… it feels… it feels strange somehow…" Priscilla said to herself as she surveyed our surroundings "The very air feels tight with tension!"

"It's making my skin crawl" I agreed "It's like I'm being… crushed by an overwhelming sense of danger…"

"Something has to be coming. It's no coincidence that both of us are feeling it"

Suddenly we heard a loud roar.

"GRRROOOOH… GRRROOOOHHH!"

"Ah-aahhhhhhh!" Priscilla clamped over her mouth to silence her scream "It's the same roar we heard Silvin!"

"GRROOOOHH!"

Then we heard footsteps, footsteps strong enough to shake the ground beneath us.

"It's… it's…" Priscilla shook with fear "It's here…!"

Meanwhile, Corphish led the rest of the guild back to the Groudon statue.

"Hey, hey, check this out everyone!" Corphish called as the rest of the guild followed suit.

"This is it? The Groudon statue?" Chatot asked.

"Oh! But there's no one else here!" Sunflora pointed out.

"Are you really sure you saw the Guildmaster, Corphish?" Chatot asked skeptically.

"Sure, I'm sure!" Corphish assured "I saw him when I was scuttling back to base camp. The Guildmaster dashed past, all willy-nilly, in hot pursuit of a Perfect Apple"

"I gave him a shout and wave, but he seemed too occupied to holler back" Corphish continued, then looked around "But I guess Silvin's team went ahead, so I'd bet that the Guildmaster went up after them, don't you think?"

Suddenly, the ground shook twice, as if massive footsteps were being taken.

"Hmm? The ground…" Diglett narrowed his eyes.

"Uh-what? It's shaking!" Bidoof cried in alarm.

"GRROOOOOOH…!"

"What… whatever could that be?" Chimecho asked in a low voice.

"What an uproar! Is it maybe…?" Loudred was staring at the Groudon statue, almost coming to a conclusion. Corphish hopped on the spot.

"Whatever it is, it came up there! Silvin and his team are in danger!" Corphish cried "Come on! We have to go!"

Everyone rushed over to the right, but Diglett knew he felt something.

"Hey, Dad!" Diglett called and Dugtrio stopped "Did you hear something right over there? Like moaning and groaning?"

"Oh, you just imagined it!" Dugtrio scoffed "Now let's hurry!"

"Yep!"

As the two left, Zubat, Koffing and Skuntank all laid in a heap next to a water puddle.

"Ouchee-wow-wow!" Zubat moaned.

"I'm d-d-deflated! I can't move!" Koffing cried in distress.

"Hork-ork-how did that happen…?" Skuntank asked "How did Wigglytuff shrug off our noxious gas combo like it was nothing?"

"And h-h-how did Wigglytuff strike back at us…" Zubat groaned "It's u-unbelievable. Wigglytuff is unbelievable…"

"What did I tell you Chief? You don't know what Wigglytuff's capable of" Koffing said.

"S-shut up you…"

Back on Steam Cave's summit, the footsteps grew louder and shook the ground beneath us even more.

"S-Silvin… if we don't make it out alive… escape and tell the others…" Priscilla stuttered fearfully.

"No way, I'm not leaving you behind" I reassured, placing my hand on her shoulder "Either we win together or we die together. We're not leaving each other behind"

"Stubborn aren't you?" Priscilla managed a smile "One way that will come back to bite at you. But for now… I'm glad for the support"

"GROOOOOOH…. GRROOOOOOH!"

And the beast appeared, a gigantic red Pokemon with black marking all over it's body. It's arms were rippled with muscles and his claws were as sharp as blades. It was the Pokemon depicted on the statue. Groudon.

"GRRROOOOH!" Groudon roared "YOU! HAVE YOU COME TO DESECRATE THIS PLACE?! DEPART NOW!"

"B-but all we want is to go to Fogbound Lake!" Priscilla said in her strongest voice.

"WHAT?! FOGBOUND LAKE?!" Groudon smashed the ground with one of his fists "I AM THE GUARDIAN OF FOGBOUND LAKE! I AM GROUDON! YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE HERE ALIVE, INTRUDERS!"

"Aaahhhhh! Here he comes!" Priscilla screamed.

Meanwhile, Chatot led the guild to the entrance of Steam Cave.

"Hey, hey! there's a way in!" Corphish said.

"We can go up through here!" Sunflora continued.

"Let's HURRY!" Loudred shouted and the guild charged into Steam Cave. While they were exploring the dungeon, Corphish went over to Chatot.

"H...h...hey… hey Chatot!" Corphish panted "Can I ask you something while we're running?"

"What is it?" Chatot snapped.

"Do you know of a Pokemon named Groudon?" Corphish asked.

"Well, of course. Just what do you take me for? I'm only the head of intelligence for our guild!" Chatot replied, irritated "Groudon is a legendary Pokemon spoken of in myths passed down through generations"

"A legendary Pokemon?" Corphish wondered aloud.

"Correct" Chatot replied "The myths say Groudon raised the land from the sea and created continents!"

"Hoo-boy that sounds like a colossal Pokemon!" Corphish exclaimed "But what if you were to face Groudon in battle?"

Groudon walked a few steps in front of us, shaking the ground even more.

"What would happen?"

"Battle?! Out of the question!" Chatot flapped "If anyone were foolish enough to face Groudon in a battle… Well it would be like throwing your life away! He's that strong! Like all legendary Pokemon!"

"GRROOOOOH!" Groudon roared in front of us.

"T-this is scary…" Priscilla said in a low voice "But I need to be brave. We can do this! Silvin, if we die, I want to tell you that you were the best friend I've ever had"

"Likewise Priscilla"

"PREPARE FOR MY WRATH! GRROOOOH!" Groudon roared and the battle begun. Groudon started first by raising his hand to the sky. The clouds above us split instantly and bright sunshine came down on us, covering the field.

"Harsh sunlight… watch out Silvin!" Priscilla called "If he uses any Fire type move, it'll be powered up!"

"AND UNLUCKY FOR YOU, FIRE IS ONE OF MY SPECIALTIES" Groudon's fist lit on fire with Fire Punch and he smashed the ground near me, expelling a huge inferno of fire. I leaped away just in time and countered with Quick Attack, but I dealt no damage to the behemoth. Next to me, Priscilla was throwing sand into Groudon's eyes with Sand Attack to lower his accuracy. I realized that if she didn't do that, Groudon would of already killed me with Fire Punch.

"Take this!" I dashed towards his leg and smashed my palm into it with Force Palm, making Groudon stumble slightly.

"GRRROOOH, A FEEBLE ATTEMPT" Groudon's hand came down and cut my chest open with Slash, leaving three giant, bloody claw marks.

"Silvin!" Priscilla screamed then ran over to me. Groudon attempted to stop her with Slash, but Sand Attack messed up his accuracy. Priscilla reached me and force fed me an Oran Berry, healing the injuries on my chest.

"We can't beat him with brute force alone" Priscilla said as she helped me dodge a Fire Punch from Groudon "We have to use strategy"

"Strategy like?"

"Seeds"

Priscilla dug a Sleep Seed from her treasure bag and threw it at Groudon, who caught it effortlessly and flung it back at us. We just barely escaped the cloud of sleep that expelled from the broken seed.

"I need you to distract Groudon so I can land the Sleep Seed" Priscilla said and I nodded, charging towards the giant behemoth.

"GA HA HA! COME TO CHALLENGE ME AGAIN, LITTLE RIOLU?!" Groudon's face morphed into one of pure terror, freezing me in my tracks.

"No! I won't let you!" I shook off the fear and charged, smashing Groudon's leg with Force Palm.

"YOU KNOW THAT CAN'T DEFEAT ME SO WHY DO YOU TRY?!" Groudon made an attempt to grab me, but a Sleep Seed flew straight into his eyes and Groudon instantly fell asleep, allowing me to get away.

"Silvin, take this" Priscilla tossed me a Violent Seed "You know what to do"

"Focus Punch"

"Focus Punch"

I ate the Violent Seed and my mind focused to absolute clarity. My arms felt like they could tear apart mountains. I marched up to the sleeping Groudon and focused, allowing my fist to heat up like before. Orange light gathered on my fist as it began to overheat. I yelled as I threw my fist of pure energy into Groudon's leg. The force was enough to shatter an Aggron. Groudon woke up and toppled, his left leg broken.

"GRRROOHHH! YOU LITTLE PUNY RIOLU!" Groudon roared "THAT'S IT! DIE!"

Groudon viciously grabbed me and began to squeeze the life out of me. I tried to resist, but Groudon's strength was still eons better than mine. I began seeing spots as Groudon nearly crushed my ribs, but an X-Eye seed flew into Groudon's eyes, blinding him.

"GAH!" Groudon dropped me and stumbled around, wiping his eyes "I'M BLIND!"

"Now Silvin!" Priscilla yelled.

I focused another Focus Punch and lunged as I did it, slamming my fist into Groudon's right leg, shattering every bone in it. Groudon fell to his knees, roaring.

"NO! YOU CAN'T!"

"THIS IS OVER!" I leaped as high as I could and delivered a boulder-shattering Force Palm, spiking a spear of energy through Groudon's chest. The behemoth of a Pokemon finally fell, cracking the ground as he collapsed. I landed on the ground just as the Violent Seed faded away. My arms felt weak and my legs weaker.

"I knew I could only manage two Focus Punchs in a day…" I mumbled before collapsing to the ground. Priscilla caught me, smiling.

"You did it Silvin. By the gods, you did it" Priscilla nuzzled her face into my head "I'm so proud…"

"I couldn't have done it without you Priscilla" I said weakly "Come on… the treasure… Fogbound Lake… awaits…"

"Stay with me Silvin" Priscilla fed me an Oran Berry "I want you to see the fruit of your hard work"

"Don't worry… I'll sleep when this is… over…" I ate and Oran Berry and got to my feet, although I doubt I could fight for the rest of the day.

"Now then, let's go" Priscilla said "Finally, we can see Fogbound Lake"

Before we could go however, Groudon's body glowed with a bright white light.

"What?! What's happening to Groudon?" Priscilla cried in alarm. The light around Groudon grew stronger, until it flashed, blinding us. When the light faded, Groudon was gone.

"Huh? Groudon… disappeared?" Priscilla said, confused.

"That was…" a new voice appeared "That was not Groudon. That Groudon was nothing more than an illusion I created"

"W-who said that?" Priscilla asked.

"Like I said earlier, I am the guardian here" the voice continued "And I cannot allow you to pass"

"Wait please!" Priscilla was practically praying that Groudon wouldn't reappear "We're not here to cause trouble!"

"We're only here for information!" I called.

"Huh? What do we need to know?" Priscilla asked curiously.

I quickly explained how I thought I knew this place and my theory that Uxie wiped my memories when I was human.

"Information, you say?" the voice said.

"Yes, that's the honest truth!" Priscilla cried "Well, we'll admit that we're an exploration team and we'd like to leave with treasure after all our effort"

"But we'll leave without any if you have a problem with it" Priscilla promised "So please, allow us through and at least answer some questions!"

"Hmm… well…" the voice pondered "Okay, I believe you"

Light gathered in front of us and a form took shape, a blue twin-tailed Pokemon with a head of yellow. Its eyes were closed and a red gem was on it's forehead.

"Let me welcome you then" the Pokemon said. Its voice was monotone, but strangely welcoming "I am Uxie, the guardian of Fogbound Lake"

"What?! Did you say Uxie?" Priscilla cried in alarm.

"Yes truly" Uxie nodded "I stand guard over something special… that resides in Fogbound Lake. Now let me escort you to Fogbound Lake. Please, come this way"

Uxie led us to a rocky platform that overlooked a lake of great proportions. The harsh sunlight faded after we defeated Groudon, so in reality, the sun was already down.

"Wow, it's gotten dark already" Priscilla noted as she took a look around the area "What a beautiful lake"

"It may be a little difficult to see at night, but…" Uxie turned to the lake "Behold! Fogbound Lake!"

"Whoa…" me and Priscilla said in unison. Even shrouded in darkness, Fogbound Lake was spectacular. Many pink and green lights were flying in the darkness, like fireflies.

"What are those?" Priscilla asked in amazement.

"The Volbeat and Illumise. They are attracted to the only light source in the night here" Uxie replied.

"What light source?"

"Look ahead"

In the center of the lake was a bright green light, shining in the darkness of the lake. We stepped a little closer to see and saw some sort of green gear shimmering in the water. The hole in the center was hexagon-shaped and six arrows protruded from the points of the hexagon. Whatever it was, it made my heart race for some reason.

"It's amazing…" Priscilla said "But what is it?"

"That is… a Time Gear" Uxie said.

"That's a Time Gear?!" Priscilla yelped in shock.

"Yes, I guard the Time Gear" Uxie replied "It's the sole reason I'm here"

Uxie turned back to face us "Others before you have tried to trespass this area, but I used my Groudon illusion to scare most of them off"

"I'm guessing illusions is one of your psychic abilities?" Priscilla guessed.

"Yes. Like so" Uxie raised one of it's tails and Groudon reappeared back to us, albeit shimmering like it was made of mist.

"Wah!" me and Priscilla backed away in fear.

"No need to be alarmed" Uxie held a small smirk on its face "Like I said, it's only an illusion. I control what it can do"

"Thank goodness. I don't think I ever want to fight something like that again" I breathed a sigh of relief.

"There have been others who defeated my Groudon illusion and managed to make their way to this spot" Uxie continued "But they were trespassers! So I took away their memories… by opening my eyes"

"Took away their memories… by opening your eyes…" Priscilla said thoughtfully, then snapped "Oh right, we have to ask you something Uxie!"

"Ask me anything" Uxie said politely.

"This is my partner, Silvin" Priscilla began "At present, a Pokemon. Before, a human!"

"Ah, a human you say… interesting" Uxie used on of its tails to stroke its chin.

"Yes, but Silvin has lost all memories as a human" Priscilla continued "So I just want to ask: did a human ever "trespass" Fogbound Lake?"

"The answer is… no" Uxie replied flatly "No human has ever come here"

"Oh… that's a shame" Priscilla slumped in defeat.

"I should explain further" Uxie said "I only erase memories of Fogbound Lake. I cannot fully erase the memories of living beings"

Uxie turned to me "I have nothing to do with your memory loss, nor do I have anything to do with your transformation into a Pokemon. I'm sorry"

"That's alright" Priscilla said, then turned to me "So it seems like you've never been here after all Silvin"

"Yeah maybe so, but I can't shake the feeling that it looks familiar" I said "Maybe it's just my-"

"A Time Gear! A Time Gear! Well, too bad!"

Wigglytuff waddled onto the scene, followed by wounded, but still standing Zelot and Sara.

"Priscilla, Silvin! You're alright!" Zelot called, relieved.

"Oh thank the gods you two weren't hurt" Sara smiled "We were worried about you being alone here!"

"We can't take a Time Gear" Wigglytuff said.

"Wigglytuff?! What are you doing here?!" Priscilla asked, flabbergasted.

Wigglytuff ignored Priscilla and walked up to the lake "Wow! Fantastic!"

"And who might this be?" Uxie asked, a little taken aback.

"Sorry. This is Wigglytuff, our guildmaster and this is our guild" Priscilla said, pointing to Wigglytuff and the guild behind us.

"Glad to meet you, friend! Friend! Friend! Friend!" Wigglytuff greeted, as innocent and cheerful as ever. Then he waddled over to the flickering Groudon illusion.

"Glad to greet you, friend! Friend! Amazing! Friend!" Wigglytuff exclaimed, then came back to gaze at the lake "Gaze upon this amazing view! I'm delighted we came! La-dee la! Dee-la-dee!"

We had another look at the lake before the rest of the guild climbed the plateau.

"Phew, we finally made it!" Sunflora said in relief.

"No time to catch out breath. We have to hurry!" Dugtrio urged.

"Hey, hey! Someone's over there!" Corphish piped up.

"Let's go!" Chatot called and the guild Pokemon ran forward, only to be stopped in fear by the Groudon illusion.

"Squ-squ-squawk?!" Chatot fluttered in alarm.

"Gr-Gr-Gr…" Loudred couldn't even finish his sentence.

"It's Groudon! Spit it out!" Sunflora cried.

"D-d-d-ding!" Chimecho fluttered uneasily, ringing her bell in the process.

"Don't eat me! I'm not tasty!" Corphish begged.

"Hello to one and all! So what's wrong?" Wigglytuff asked, completely unfazed by the Groudon illusion.

"G-G-Guildmaster!" Chatot stuttered in shock.

"Oh nevermind that! Come and look at the view everybody!" Wigglytuff urged "It's spouting! Pretty, pretty!"

"HUH?!"

But it was just as Wigglytuff said. In the center of the lake, where the Time Gear was, a geyser erupted from the bottom. The blue-green hue of the Time Geat mixed with the Volbeat and Illumise lights made the water spout look absolutely divine.

"Oh my! So shimmering!" Chimecho exclaimed.

"Yup, yup! Some kind of pretty!" Bidoof said, his eyes watering.

"Bidoof, are you crying?!"

"No, no! I'm not!"

"The lake geyser erupts every now and then" Uxie said, drawing attention away from Bidoof "It sends up water, just like a fountain and the Time Geat below sends up illumination. The Volbeat and Illumise glow with the fountain of water and in harmony, they are the very vision of beauty!"

"The treasure!" Wigglytuff exclaimed "The treasure… must be the view of Fogbound Lake!"

Me and Priscilla stared at the geyser, away from the others so we can be with each other.

"Are you taking in the view Silvin? It looks so magical!" Priscilla said.

"Divine. Like a god's gift for the eyes" I agreed "Although…"

"We didn't learn anything about your past, I know" Priscilla fidgetted "But I'm glad we came. I'm happy we got to see such a beautiful scene with everyone!"

"Poor Henry though" I smiled and Priscilla laughed.

"Poor Henry indeed. He's going to be on our heels for what happened here" Priscilla smiled contently "But… we'll tell him every detail"

"Yes… the view is too good to forget"

Me and Priscilla continued to watch the geyser in silence. While we were watching however, something prodded me from the back of my mind.

"If Uxie said he never met before…" I thought "Then how do I know this place?"

I took a closer look at the Time Gear "And when I look at the Time Gear, why does it make my pulse race and make me so uneasy?"

We continued watching for a few minutes until Wigglytuff decided it was time to go.

"So sorry! For disturbing you!" Wigglytuff apologized to Uxie "Had a fantastic time! Friend! Friend! Friend!"

"I shall not take away your memories of this place" Uxie said "You have earned my trust. But I trust that you can keep this place a secret"

"Surely! Thank you! We all know what we need to do!" Wigglytuff replied cheerfully "You know, another Time Gear has been stolen. This one must stay safe!"

"Wait… WHAT?!"

"Hush! Quiet down everyone!" Chatot called "Wigglytuff and I didn't tell you this so we wouldn't cause mass panic. I promise to explain once we get back"

That calmed down the guild and allowed Wigglytuff to continue.

"We won't ever say a word about this place! I swear in the name of Wigglytuff's Guild!" Wigglytuff said.

"Please hold true to that promise" Uxie pleaded.

"Okay! Let's be on our way!" Wigglytuff turned to Chatot "Chatot, if you will!"

"I'll hop to it, Guildmaster!" Chatot nodded, then turned to us "Everyone, we're returning to the guild!"

"HOORAY!"

And so, the guild's long and challenging expedition has come to an end. Everyone has returned safely to the guild except for Team Skull. God knows where they are now. But nobody gave a damn about them. Coming back to the guild meant we had to take up our regular training schedules again. Life was back to usual in the guild!

"Huh, Chatot wasn't kidding about the "imbued with magic" part" Priscilla said as the clouds covering Fogbound Lake magically moved off her Wonder Map "Now we can see Fogbound Lake and the surrounding area from the map!"

When we returned to Treasure Town, Henry greeted us with a flying hug and told us that a Pelipper delivered two larger Treasure Bags while we were gone. We sold one of our old ones to Kecleon's Shop and I gave my old one to Henry, who sold his older one in turn. When we arrived in our room, I collapsed in bed, falling asleep instantly.

"Life is back to usual Silvin" Priscilla whispered "Sweet dreams. Don't oversleep"

Life was NOT going as usual in other places though.

"There it is! Another Time Gear!" a Pokemon shrouded in darkness hopped up to a Time Gear that was resting in a stone monument in a watery cave "This is the second one!"

The Pokemon reached for the gear with his hand "Three more Time Gears remain. I must have them…"

The Pokemon took the Time Gear off it's monument and dashed away as the world behind him turned gray, time freezing in place.

"Brand me a criminal all you want, world" the Pokemon mumbled to himself as he tucked the Time Gear in his treasure bag "But this is to save you"

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 23_

 _Moves: Force Palm, Quick Attack, Bite and Focus Punch_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 21_

 _Moves: Quick Attack, Tackle, Bite and Sand Attack_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Henry, Starly_

 _Level 18_

 _Moves: Wing Attack, Quick Attack, Tackle and Growl_

 _IQ Level: *_

 _\- Zelot, Gallade_

 _Level 25_

 _Moves: Psycho Cut, Night Slash, Brick Break and Leaf Blade_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Sara, Mismagius_

 _Level 24_

 _Moves: Shadow Ball, Psywave, Magical Leaf and Confuse Ray_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **And the last expedition chapter is done! The tactic used in the Groudon battle is recommended in the actual game, as well as all the other bosses. Throw seeds at them to make them helpless, eat a Violent Seed and then nail them with your most powerful moves. I introduced Monster Houses a dungeon earlier than usual (they are actually introduced in Amp Plains first) so Zelot and Sara can be away from the Groudon fight, as evolved Pokemon with Leaf Blade and Magical Leaf would trivialize the battle. The name "Radiant Wings" was supposed to represent Volbeat and Illumise's yellow wings in the geyser, but it couldn't come up sadly. "With great power, comes great need to take a nap" is a well-known quote from Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. Next up is Chapter 11: Tribes of Thunder where Team Skylar tackles Amp Plains, so favorite and follow if you want to be notified when a new chapter comes out. Also review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	12. Chapter 11: Legendary Arrival

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 11: Legendary Arrival

"UP AND AT EM! IT'S MORNING!" Loudred shouted.

"Ugh… it's been a while since we were woken up like that…" Priscilla yawned while wiping her eyes "Good morning Silvin"

"Good morning Priscilla" I replied, stretching my arms out. They were still sore from the Groudon battle yesterday, but felt fine enough to handle a rescue job or two. We headed out of our room to join morning briefing as usual. We did the morning cheer as usual, then everyone dispersed, with Priscilla turning to me with a bright smile.

"Well, back to business as usual Silvin!" Priscilla said "Let's give it our all, as always"

"Now that's what I like to see! A lot of morning prep! Impressive!" Chatot grinned as his tail swished from side to side "Let's see you put that prep to good use today!"

"WHAT?! You can't identify the footprint?!" Loudred shouted from the corner "What do you MEAN?!"

"I'm trying to tell you!" Diglett protested "I can't identify what I don't know!"

Me, Priscilla and Chatot walked over to the sentry hole to check what's going on.

"What's wrong?" Chatot asked.

"We have a Pokemon visitor up top whose footprint we can't identify!" Loudred reported "Diglett is an outstanding sentry, so it's rare for him to be stumped on footprints"

Loudred turned to us "Now if it were those two who were doing sentry, it'll be no shocker!"

"Hey, we've gotten better!" Priscilla countered "Besides, if it's so rare that Diglett gets stumped… then what about when me and Silvin first arrived at the guild? You guys couldn't recognize Silvin's footprint!"

"Hmm? Say again?" Diglett's voice interrupted us "You want to meet our Guildmaster?"

We returned our attention to the sentry hole.

"Your name is… Dusknoir?! Oh! Please just wait a moment!" Diglett called.

"Du-Dusknoir?!" Chatot stuttered in surprise.

"The world famous Dusknoir?!" Loudred was just as shocked.

Before I could ask who was Dusknoir, I heard a collective gasp come from the floor above us, followed by squealing and "Oh my goshs"

Most of the "Oh my goshs" came from Sunflora.

Seconds later, everyone was on the second floor and Dusknoir floated down the ladder to meet Wigglytuff.

"Thank you for visiting! What an honor!" Wigglytuff greeted.

"No, no! Think nothing on it!" Dusknoir replied modestly. His voice was smooth and persuading, if not somewhat strained "The honor is all mine! There is no greater pleasure than visiting Wigglytuff's Guild. It's famous, you know"

"Excuse me Loudred?" Priscilla tapped Loudred's shoulder.

"What do you want?" Loudred replied.

"Who's that visitor?" the Eevee asked and everyone whipped around in shock.

"WHAT?! You haven't heard of Dusknoir?!" Loudred's expression was utter shock "The world famous explorer?"

"We're still apprentices here you know" Priscilla reminded Loudred "I've never heard of him"

"Neither did I" I added.

"Well, that's not surprising, really!" Sunflora said "He's a new arrival on the scene! Like a comet! He became famous almost overnight!"

"Became famous overnight…" I replied sarcastically "That's hard to believe"

"They say his talents as an explorer are super exceptional!" Sunflora continued.

"Clearly a Dusknoir fangirl…" I muttered under my breath.

"So this Dusknoir guy really is amazing, huh?" Priscilla stared at the Ghost type Pokemon conversing with Wigglytuff.

"Yeah! Here's some more good stuff that I've heard!" Loudred cleared his throat "He does things unlike anyone else! First, he doesn't work in a team"

"He explores solo?!" taking a look at Dusknoir, I could see how he can get away with that. Not only was he fully evolved, he gave off an aura of power. Being in the same room as him gave me the chills.

"Yep, he does everything alone. He's got to be pretty sure of his skills to do that!" Loudred exclaimed "But what's more incredible? His wealth of knowledge!"

"It seems like there's nothing in the world Dusknoir doesn't know!" Sunflora added.

"And if you don't believe us, he used his knowledge to succeed on many explorations!" Loudred said "Many Pokemon rever Dusknoir for his achievements…"

"And that's how I know the claims of his mighty knowledge must be true!" Sunflora finished.

"So… I'm assuming this is Dusknoir's first time here?" I asked.

"Yep! That's why Diglett couldn't recognize him" Loudred answered "I think the Guildmaster just met him for the first time too!"

"You know, I think Diglett couldn't recognize him because Dusknoir doesn't have any feet" I pointed to the wisp of black smoke billowing under Dusknoir's body. There wasn't any footprints to recognize.

"Oh Diglett's a master at recognizing footprints" Loudred replied "Even if the Pokemon doesn't have feet, he knows what they are!"

"Wait, if this is Wigglytuff's first time meeting Dusknoir, then why is he being so friendly?" Priscilla asked.

Loudred and Sunflora turned back to Dusknoir and Wigglytuff "That's just how our Guildmaster is"

"... I see. Well, that must of been quite a disappointment for your guild" Dusknoir's voice brought our attention back to him.

"Yes, that expedition was a waste of time! Didn't learn a thing about anything!" Wigglytuff replied nonchalantly.

"I see Wigglytuff's upholding his promise" Priscilla whispered to me.

"Good for him. I was scared he might blow it" I replied and Priscilla giggled.

"I heard that Wigglytuff's Guild was mounting an expedition to find Fogbound Lake" Dusknoir said "I came here hoping to hear of your latest triumph. Had I come earlier, I could of even joined along!"

"Sorry! We didn't learn a thing!" Wigglytuff kept his usual smile despite technically lying.

"No need to apologize. It's no trouble to me" Dusknoir shrugged "I'm going to be staying in Treasure Town for some time. May I visit you occasionally during my stay? Your guild constantly receives the latest news. Good information would be a big help on my explorations"

"No problem!" Wigglytuff replied easily "Other exploration teams visit here all the time! You're always welcome!"

Wigglytuff, Chatot and Dusknoir turned to us now.

"Everyone! This is Dusknoir!" Wigglytuff introduced "He's going to stay in Treasure Town for a while. Mind yourself around him!"

"Remember to speak in full sentences when talking to him!" someone said and everyone laughed.

"Dusknoir is very famous and quite knowledgeable" Wigglytuff continued "I bet everyone wants to get advice from him! But let's not overdo it! We don't want to be a nuisance"

"Now everyone, our guest may be famous…" Chatot stepped forward "But don't embarrass us by asking him for autographs!"

"No, no! If it's autographs you want, I'll be happy to oblige" Dusknoir replied, modest as usual "But… information? I'm afraid you flatter me. I have very little information"

Dusknoir clasped his hands together "However, I would be delighted if I may be of service to you. If there's anything you need to ask, don't be afraid to approach me"

Everyone fell into cheer, applauding for Dusknoir.

"Yup, yup! It's a great honor!" Bidoof exclaimed

"Bidoof, are you blushing now?!"

"N-no I'm not! Golly, stop staring at me!"

"Oooh! I'm very glad to have met you!" Sunflora gushed.

Chatot flapped for silence "Come now everyone! You're dismissed!"

Everyone quieted down and dispersed, either talking with their friends or going back to find missions.

"I think I'll go for a stroll in Treasure Town" Dusknoir told Wigglytuff "Please feel free to approach me with anything. Good day!"

As Dusknoir left, Chatot came up to us.

"I started saying earlier about your assignment for today" Chatot said "Today I want you to take jobs from the Rescue Bulletin Board or the Outlaw Capture Board as usual. That'll do"

And so we did, taking four jobs in Foggy Forest. Two rescues and two outlaw captures. It was nice being back in a dungeon with Henry and it was even more nice when he one-shot a Breloom with Wing Attack.

"Well, someone's been training while we were gone" Priscilla noted as she took down a Skiploom with Quick Attack.

Henry shrugged "What else could I do while waiting for you guys to come back? You were probably going to get stronger while on the expedition, so I didn't want to fall behind!"

"You're right on the "getting stronger" part" I commented while blasting away a Zigzagoon with Force Palm "I learned a couple new tricks"

"I saw one" Henry nodded "But what are the others?"

"Silvin, do you really want to do this?" Priscilla asked worriedly "Are you arms still sore?"

"A little bit. They ache whenever I attack" I twisted my arms around a little to loosen them up "Maybe I shouldn't do it, huh?"

"Do what? Are you going to show me?" Henry flapped excitingly "Come on, don't leave me in suspense!"

"I'll show you when I've recovered" I smirked "Now come on, our client is waiting"

We finished up our jobs for the day and came back to the guild just in time for dinner. We said our farewells to Henry for the night, ate dinner, then hopped into bed and slept, ready for the next day. But in the night of a full moon, three Pokemon have returned.

"Ch-Ch-Chief…" Zubat said shakily "We were really put in our place on that last expedition"

"Chaw-ha-ha… Wigglytuff wrecked us…" Skuntank shivered in disgust "And I'm not going to let it go! So humiliating! I need revenge… one way or another"

Skuntank turned to his companions "But to be brutally honest, we have no chance against Wigglytuff. Grr… I'm so furious it's burning me up!"

"Whoa-ho-ho there's gotta be some way we can get back at them" Koffing exclaimed.

"Heh-heh-heh I'll settle for picking on wimps. Oh hey!" Zubat flapped in the night "Instead of taking revenge on Wigglytuff, how about we do it to Team Skylar?"

"Chaw-ha! Great idea!" Skuntank held a dark smile on his face.

"Whoa-ho-ho! And we know that Team Skylar is wimpy!" Koffing agreed.

"Time to do some plotting boys! Chaw-ha-ha!" Skuntank cackled and his team took off into the woods.

After morning briefing, Chatot approached us with a request.

"Before you two get to work today, I'd like you to do an errand" Chatot said "I want you to go to Kecleon Market and ask the owners if they plan to stock Perfect Apples"

"... Does this have to do with Wigglytuff?" I asked.

Chatot winced "Yes. Our storage holds many Perfect Apples… or at least it can. But the Guildmaster raids the storage when we're not looking and uses up our supply"

"Well that's not surprising…" I muttered under my breath.

"And you know full well what happens when the Guildmaster is deprived of his Perfect Apples" Chatot reminded us "But having to send a team to Apple Woods for a fresh load is always too much work and wastes the team's time"

"Oh I see. So if Kecleon Market started selling Perfect Apples, getting them for Wigglytuff would be easier" Priscilla said.

"Correct. Then our exploration teams can use their time for more… important tasks" Chatot replied "So go on. Ask if Kecleon Market will stock Perfect Apples, then report back to me. Check the notice boards after you're done"

"Will do!" Priscilla nodded, then turned to me "Let's go Silvin"

When we arrived at Kecleon's Market, we found Dusknoir at the stand, talking with the Kecleon brothers. As we approached the stand, Dusknoir and the Kecleons turned to us.

"Hello there! You're from the guild, if I'm not mistaken?" Dusknoir greeted, polite as usual.

"Yes, we're Team Skylar. We work at the guild" Priscilla smiled "It's great to meet you!"

"Likewise" Dusknoir nodded.

"So what are you doing in town Dusknoir? Shopping?" I asked.

Dusknoir shook his head "No, no. Just simply enjoying a chat!"

"I hailed him down! The great Dusknoir is so very famous!" the green Kecleon piped up.

Dusknoir turned to him "Oh please, don't describe me as "great". It doesn't suit me"

"So modest too!" the purple Kecleon exclaimed "And he gave us a surprising talk too!"

"The great Dusknoir is so worldly and wise. I'm thoroughly impressed!" the green Kecleon continued.

"Huh, I guess the rumors ARE true" Priscilla looked at Dusknoir in the eye "Dusknoir, sir, you must be as knowledgeable as they say!"

"May I ask what are you here for Priscilla and Silvin?" the green Kecleon asked "Are you here to shop? We have some fine merchandise and wares!"

"Sorry, but no" Priscilla replied "We're just here to ask a question"

"Oh? Ask away then"

"Does your shop plan to stock Perfect Apples?" the Eevee asked.

"Sorry to disappoint you" green Kecleon apologized "But we have no plans to stock Perfect Apples. They are very expensive to buy after all"

"And hiring exploration teams to harvest Perfect Apples is a high cost too" the purple Kecleon added "So no, Perfect Apples won't be sold at Kecleon's Market for a long time"

"Oh I see. Thank you for telling us" Priscilla nodded "Chatot won't be happy with this news…"

Before we could depart, we heard Azurill and Marill's voices shouting behind us.

"Azurill, hurry!" Marill called.

"Wait for me!" Azurill cried enthusiastically.

"The Marill and Azurill brothers! Well, hello to you both!" green Kecleon greeted with a warm smile.

"Oh! Hi Kecleon brothers!" Azurill greeted.

"And Team Skylar too!" Marill exclaimed.

"What's with the rush, you two?" I asked.

"You know how we've been looking for our lost item?" Marill began.

"Hold on, you lost an item?" I tried to remember when Marill told us that and got nothing.

"Yeah, it was our special Water Float. The last time we went looking for it was with Drowzee a few months ago" Marill replied "So I can see how you forgot"

"S-sorry about that…" I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly.

"A Water Float? Now that's a precious item!" Dusknoir perked up.

"Yes, that's why we've been looking hard for a long time" Marill told Dusknoir.

"And then, someone said they saw a Water Float on the beach today!" Azurill bounced with excitement.

"We're rushing to the beach now" Marill finished.

As the two brothers talked to Dusknoir and the Kecleons, I glanced over and saw Zubat and Koffing nearby. I tapped Priscilla on the shoulder and pointed to them. She gasped.

"H-how are they back?!" Priscilla stuttered "They disappeared after the expedition!"

"It doesn't matter how they got back. Team Skull is back in Treasure Town, which means we have to keep our guard up" I whispered "Wait, they are talking. Let me try and listen…"

"Heh-heh-heh! Juicy tidbit!" Zubat told Koffing "We'll get the Chief up to speed, then get the jump of them"

"Whoa-ho-ho. Sounds good!" Koffing grinned, then the two took off.

"What did you hear?" Priscilla asked me in a low voice.

"Nothing revealing and that's making me frustrated" I replied, gritting my teeth "Zubat said something about "getting the jump on them". Do they mean us?"

"If they do, then we need to be wary of our surroundings" Priscilla replied, her posture tense "From what it sounds like, they mean to ambush us"

"That's excellent! It's great that it finally turned up!" green Kecleon's voice broke us out of our thoughts as Marill smiled.

"Yep, we better be going to the beach. See you two later!" Marill waved.

"Bye!" Azurill called, then the two brothers ran off.

"Hmm… I've never heard of a Water Float" green Kecleon said thoughtfully "Sir Dusknoir, do you know what it is?"

"A Water Float is an item specifically for Azurill" Dusknoir replied "It can only be obtained by trading similar, precious treasures again and again. As such, it's seen as an exceedingly rare item"

"Gah! Is that so?" green Kecleon hopped in surprise "Our line of work is buying and selling, yet we've never heard of such an item! That must make it incredibly rare. To sell such a rare item is a day that'll never come for us"

"Speaking of selling, we have to be heading back to the guild" Priscilla interrupted politely "Pleasure talking with you three"

"Of course! Come back soon!" the two Kecleon brothers waved as we went back to the guild.

"What?! They have no plans to stock Perfect Apples?!" Chatot squawked in shock when we broke the news to him "Squawk! What am I going to do now?!"

"You know… you can always just send us over to Apple Woods to grab some…" Priscilla suggested.

"What?! You gotta be joking!" Chatot cried in alarm "The last time you went to Apple Woods, you failed utterly!"

"What?! But Team Skull-"

"I just can't take that! I can't go through that again!" Chatot said frantically, ignoring Priscilla. Chatot took a deep breath and calmed down.

"... I'm sorry" Chatot apologized "You two were outstanding on our recent expedition and I recognize everything that you've done for us. But the incident…"

Chatot shivered before continuing.

"The incident with the Guildmaster… and Perfect Apples… it's… it's still a traumatic experience for me" Chatot forced out "I'd rather not risk going through it again, even as skilled as you may be"

Chatot turned to the side and slumped "I guess I'll have to find Perfect Apples myself. You two should go check the bulletin boards for job requests. That is all"

After the jobs were done for the day, Chimecho rang her bell to signify dinner.

"Everyone! Time for dinner!" Chimecho called.

"YEAH!" everyone cheered "Let's get…"

"Hold on everyone!" Chatot cried "Ahem! Before we begin dinner, there's something I need to share with you"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Corphish protested angrily.

"Come on! Out with it! Let us EAT already!" Loudred growled, irritated.

"They say that the moment you deprive a man of food, they become naught but barbarians" Priscilla said beside me and I nodded in agreement.

"Quiet please!" Chatot hissed sharply and everyone quieted down "Ahem. We just received word of this but…"

Chatot held the silence for three second.

"Another Time Gear was stolen"

Everyone gasped in shock. Chatot already informed us after the expedition that a Time Gear was stolen recently and whenever a Time Gear was stolen, time stops in that area. Treeshroud Forest was already crippled due to it's Time Gear being stolen. Now a second one was gone?

"Another Time Gear was stolen?!" Chimecho balked in shock.

"Who could of done this?!" Loudred stomped his feet in anger.

"Uhm… was it… was it the one from Fogbound Lake?" Bidoof asked nervously.

"No, it wasn't from Fogbound Lake" Chatot replied and everyone breathed a sigh of relief "However, this is the second Time Gear that was stolen. It would be extremely bad if a third were to be taken"

Chatot looked around at all of us "Now rest assured, I have full confidence in you all. But I must make one thing very clear. You will NOT tell anyone what you witnessed on the expedition! Understood?"

"Of course!" Dugtrio replied, albeit with a slightly angry tone.

"I don't have a big mouth!" Loudred exclaimed.

"Uhm, you sorta do…"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Eek! I would never forget the promise we made to Uxie!" Sunflora assured.

"Okay, okay! Quiet down everyone!" Chatot quieted us down again, then stared at his food "Sorry to keep you waiting. Without further ado… on your marks… get set…"

"CHOW!"

"What is this, some kind of race?"

After everyone in the guild fell asleep, a mysterious figure arrived at Fogbound Lake.

"Hmm…" Uxie turned to address the figure "I knew it. I knew I shouldn't have trusted them"

The dark figure remained silent.

"Soon after they left… another Pokemon would come" Uxie continued "But this Pokemon… stole the Time Gear!"

"I see your psychic abilities are as strong as they say" the figure replied.

"... I should of done it. I should of taken their memories when I had the chance" Uxie said regretfully.

"I don't know exactly what you're talking about… but you're wrong" the figure said, which took Uxie aback "No one led me here. No one told me about this place"

"Because I already knew"

"What? How did you-"

"I have no quarrel with you, but I'm taking the gear with me" the figure got into a battle stance "If you're going to stand in my way, prepare to die doing so"

"You madman… what are you going to do with the Time Gear?!" Uxie demanded.

"That's none of your business. All that matters is… this is the third Time Gear I'm taking!" the figure lunged forward with blinding speed, slicing Uxie nearly in half with his arm. With the guardian Pokemon down, the figure leaped into the lake and began swimming towards the Time Gear, intent on stealing it.

"N-no… must protect… the…" Uxie croaked before collapsing on the ground and blacking out.

"Three Time Gears taken" the figure said triumphantly as he tucked the third gear in his treasure bag "Only two left"

The figure stared into the sky "I hope you're watching partner. I WILL fulfill your last wish"

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 24_

 _Moves: Force Palm, Bite, Quick Attack and Focus Punch_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 22_

 _Moves: Tackle, Quick Attack, Bite and Sand Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Henry, Starly_

 _Level 20_

 _Moves: Wing Attack, Tackle, Quick Attack and Growl_

 _IQ Level: *_

 **Mostly a filler chapter to cover all the dialogue in between the expedition and Amp Plains. We get introduced to Dusknoir and hear about Marill and Azurill's missing Water Float. Next up is Amp Plains where we recruit two more Pokemon for Team Skylar. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified for the next chapter and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!**


	13. Chapter 12: Tribes of Thunder

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 12: Tribes of Thunder

Right away, the day began with a disaster.

"WHAT?! What's going on?!" Loudred yelled "... Okay, got it! You two! Team Skylar!"

"What is it Loudred?" Priscilla asked as we walked over to the sentry hole.

"You got yourself some visitors" Loudred informed "Go to the guild entrance to meet with them"

"Visitors… I wonder who they are" Priscilla wondered aloud "Better find out"

We left the guild and found Azurill and Marill waiting for us.

"Silvin and Priscilla! Hi there!" Azurill greeted joyfully.

"Oh, it's you little guys" Priscilla smiled "We heard we had visitors. Are you them?"

"Yep! We wanted to ask Team Skylar for help" Marill requested.

"Help, huh? What do you two need?" Priscilla asked.

"We need your help to find a Water Float" Azurill said.

Priscilla turned to Azurill with a confused look on her face "A Water Float? Wasn't that the item you two were looking for? The item you said was on the beach?"

"Yep, the very same" Marill slumped, then pulled a piece of paper from his treasure bag "We went down to the beach to look for it, but it wasn't there. Instead, we found a note"

Marill gave Priscilla the note to read aloud.

"Hm… the writing is awfully crude…" Priscilla murmured "Let's see… "The Water Float on the beach is now in our possession. Just try to take it from us! We'll be waiting in the deepest parts of Amp Plains""

"Anything else?" I asked.

""But knowing how weak and puny you are, I bet you can't even reach us! Chaw-ha-ha!"" Priscilla continued, her paws trembling with rage ""Can't handle it? Go cry to your big-shot friends! Chaw-ha-ha!""

Priscilla stopped reading and growled before slamming the note on the ground and ripping it to shreds "Team Skull! Those b-dastards stole your Water Float!"

"Nice save there" I mumbled.

"Me and Azurill want to get it back but…" Marill slumped in defeat "Amp Plains is full of Electric type Pokemon. A Water type like me is just going to get killed"

"They set this up on purpose so only WE can get it back" Priscilla snarled "Don't worry, you two. We WILL get back your Water Float"

"Don't be so reckless Priscilla. This IS a trap after all" I reminded the Eevee "As much as I want to take personal revenge on Team Skull, we're walking right into an ambush if we follow through"

"But the Water Float is very important to us…" Marill sniffed "It was a parting gift from our late father…"

"Silvin, we have no choice" Priscilla said firmly "Team Skull issued this challenge for us and we're going to take it"

"Are you out of your mind? Our lives are at stake here!" I protested "Not only did we not explore Amp Plains yet, we're walking into their trap for them! What if it was trick and they DIDN'T put the Water Float there?!"

"Well, what do you suggest we do huh?!" Priscilla growled, getting right into my face "Are we supposed to fork this over to some other explorer and let Team Skull get the better of us?"

"Forget Team Skull! I'm just saying this so we can stay alive!" I shouted and everyone fell silent. Marill and Azurill stared at both of us in shock.

"We can tell Dusknoir about it" I said in low voice "He can handle this"

"No, I'm going to get the Water Float" Priscilla glared at me "If you want to go cry to big-shot Dusknoir to solve this problem, then go right ahead! I'm not going to give Team Skull the last laugh!"

Priscilla stormed off, leaving me, Azurill and Marill. All of us was still in a stunned silence.

"I'm… I'm so sorry for bothering you about this…" Marill apologized "Priscilla she… she really wants revenge on this Team Skull?"

"Yes, she's a very emotional person" I sighed "She's intelligent and thinks situations through logically, but…"

I put my hands on my face in shame "Sometimes, she lets her emotions get the better of her and that's going to put her in danger"

"Sir Silvin… are you going to tell Dusknoir about this?" Azurill asked "I mean, I'm sure he can handle it if you don't want to"

"No, I'm going after Priscilla" I replied firmly "I hate the idea, but she's my best friend. No matter what, I'm protecting her"

"Please stay safe" Marill prayed "I don't want you or Priscilla to be hurt on our behalf"

"Rest assured that we'll be back alive" I put my hand on Marill's shoulder "Dry those tears. Me and Priscilla will resolve the problem ourselves. You had nothing to do with it"

"S-sorry…" Marill sniffed, then wiped his eyes "Good luck then Silvin"

"Thanks. We'll be back before you know it" I promised before dashing down the steps in pursuit of Priscilla.

The Eevee travelled north and found herself on a plain surrounded by flat grey rocks and smoked trees. Dark clouds gathered above her, threatening to bring down lightning.

"Looks like I'm here" Priscilla checked her Wonder Map "Amp Plains, home to Electric types and the Water Float"

The Wonder Map crickled under Priscilla's paw "I can take Team Skull harassing us directly, but involving children to get back at us? You've crossed the line Skuntank"

"Priscilla!" Priscilla whipped around to find me running her, treasure bag flying in the wind.

"What are you doing here?" Priscilla glared at me, venom in her voice "Did you come to tell me to go back to town because Dusknoir will handle this?"

"No, I didn't talk to anyone except for Azurill and Marill before I left" I informed her while quickly checking inventory "If you're going to walk into an ambush, at least allow me to protect you"

"Grr, you still don't want to do this, do you? You still think we should let someone else handle it!" Priscilla accused.

"Believe me I do" I replied, keeping my calm "But you aren't so easy to persuade, so you leave me no choice"

"W… what are you going to do?"

"Accompany you of course" I spread my hands "Can't let you take up Amp Plains by yourself"

Priscilla sighed "Fine, I'll have your help. But did you bring anyone else?"

"Zelot and Sara are out doing missions today and Henry's a Flying type" I reminded the Eevee "Bringing Henry would cost us more Reviver Seeds than if he stayed home"

"Good point" Priscilla nodded "Let's hurry then. The Water Float isn't going to stay forever"

"Right behind you"

Amp Plains was just as Marill described. Full of Electric type Pokemon. Luckily, I brought some Cheri Berries before leaving as well as taking a few from storage. I figured we were going to get paralyzed a LOT here. The common Pokemon here were Plusle, Minun, Elekid, Shinx and Mareep. Along with the Electric types, there were an odd assortment of Normal, Bug and Ground Pokemon like Girafarig, Yanmega and Phanphy.

"Even though they aren't evolved, the Pokemon here can still pack a punch with their electricity" Priscilla warned "Steer clear from them if we need to"

"That'll be a bit hard to do considering Electric types are everywhere" I replied while darting around a corner to evade a sleeping Girafarig "The best we can do is avoid them when we can and attack when we have to"

"That's sorta what I meant, but alright" Priscilla shrugged "Oh, there's the stairs!"

Meanwhile on the seventh floor, a Shinx and Mareep were running away from a hungry Zapdos.

"What the hell? When did Zapdos get here?!" the Shinx cried as he dodged a Thundershock from the legendary bird Pokemon.

"Someone… someone must of been… carrying a Mystery Part…" the Mareep panted as he continued running as fast as he could, absorbing Zapdos's lightning with his fur. They turned a corner and found a indent in a wall they could hide in.

"Hurry! Hide in here!" the Shinx pushed the Mareep in and hide with him, praying that Zapdos wouldn't be able to find them. Outside, Zapdos squawked in anger before taking off, probably in search of other prey. Both Pokemon came out of the wall, sighing in relief before a rough voice called beside them.

"Oh ho, it's you two, Zach and Niko" the Electabuzz gang boss still had scars on his belly for when the Shinx bit him for harassing Mareep "Now would be a good time to take revenge. Get em boys!"

"Run, Niko! Run!" the Shinx shouted as the mob of Elekids, Pikachus, Plusles and Minuns charged after them. The Shinx went on ahead before bumping into a Eevee and Riolu.

"Electabuzz's goons?" the Shinx snarled before bristling with electricity "Get out of our way!"

"Wait, what are those Pokemon doing chasing you?" the Eevee asked "Are they enemies?"

"Don't play dumb! I know you're trying to make me lower my guard!" the Shinx growled before enveloping himself in a ball of electricity "Take this!"

The Riolu sidestepped Shinx's Spark attack and ran towards Mareep.

"No!" the Shinx shouted, but the Riolu darted past Mareep and engaged with the Pokemon gang mob. Using the hallway, he took them down one at a time with strong Force Palms.

"We're not part of that gang of Pokemon" the Eevee explained gently "We're just an exploration team. Do you need help?"

The Shinx relaxed "Yes… I'll take the help. Help me protect Niko"

"Niko? As in the Mareep?"

"Yeah, that one"

"Zach, I'm not something to be protected. I can fight too"

"You're tired from running away from Zapdos" the Shinx replied "Just rest a little until you regain your energy"

"Sorry to interrupt, but what are your names?" the Eevee interrupted "I know Mareep's Niko but you are…"

"Zach. Just Zach" the Shinx said "And yours?"

"Priscilla. And that Riolu is Silvin" the Eevee replied, pointing to the Riolu taking down the mob of Pokemon "We should probably go help him"

"Good idea" and the three Pokemon went in to assist Silvin.

"So Priscilla… mind introducing me these new Pokemon?" I asked as I used Force Palm to knock down a row of Elekid "They seem to be on our side now, judging by their posture"

"Yes, the Shinx is named Zach and the Mareep is named Niko" Priscilla introduced "Do we need to switch?"

"Yeah, I took a couple Thundershocks here and there" I threw a Stun Seed into the crowd to momentarily paralyze them "Switch with me and let me heal"

As Priscilla shifted position with me, I had a look at our new allies. The Shinx looked brave and determined while the Mareep looked gentle and quiet. I smiled at both of them.

"Let me introduce myself" I said as I dug an Oran Berry from my treasure bag "I'm Silvin, leader of Team Skylar. Do you wish to join our exploration team?"

"Well, what does an exploration team do? I'm Zach, by the way" the Shinx said.

"Exploration teams explore the world naturally" I replied as the Oran Berry healed the burns on my body "We work in a guild and take jobs to rescue Pokemon or capture outlaws"

"That sounds interesting. Got a safe place to stay?" Zach asked.

"Treasure Town, the town we live in, is always safe"

"Good enough. It's much better than living in this place" Zach stared at the ground in disgust "This place is a rough neighborhood, you know"

"I could tell" I picked at the scar a Plusle gave me when it Thundershock'ed me at point blank range "Joining our team can guarantee your safety"

"We should do it Zach" Niko urged "I'm tired of constantly running and you having to protect me"

"I was thinking the same thing. Joining the team, I mean" Zach replied, then turned to me "Alright then, we'll join up. What are you doing here?"

"We're here to-"

"SWITCH!"

"Be right back" I swapped places with Priscilla in the hallway and dealt with the last remaining Pokemon.

"Huh? Who are you?" the Electabuzz asked as his hand buzzed with electricity.

"Your worst nightmare" I replied as my hand began glowing with orange light. Electabuzz slammed his fist into my chest with Thunder Punch, but Focus Punch ignores all pain. I focused until I couldn't take it anymore and collided my fist into Electabuzz's face. The gang leader was sent flying into a wall and crashed into it, burying himself in the process.

"Did you really have to say "your worst nightmare"?" Priscilla asked.

"I always wanted a moment like that" I smirked as I rubbed my smoking hand "I spot the stairs in the next room. Let's go"

"But you never said what you were here for!" Zach called.

"We're here to retrieve a stolen item" I told the Shinx "A Water Float to be specific"

"A Water Float?"

I quickly explained what a Water Float was.

"Wait, so what's a Water Float doing here?" Zach asked.

"Zach, you can leave the questions for the end of the dungeon" Niko chided "They are here to retrieve something stolen, right? So they have to hurry"

"Oh, sorry about that" Zach apologized "Let's move along then. You can explain later"

Three floors later, we arrived at a rest point with a Kangaskhan Rock.

"Looks like we've gone pretty far in" Priscilla observed, then turned to Zach "Do you know where the deepest part of Amp Plains is?"

"We're close. Just eight more floors and we'll be at the deepest part" Zach answered, then narrowed his eyebrows "What about it? Is the Water Float hidden there?"

"According to the ransom note we got, yes" Priscilla nodded "Whatever happens, we need to be cautious going in. We don't know what's going to lurk around the corner"

"We're almost there everyone. Let's move" I said and everyone nodded in agreement, following me into Far Amp Plains.

Meanwhile back at Treasure Town…

"Ah, I see! So that's what happened to your Water Float" the green Kecleon nodded in understanding "What a mean thing to do! So Silvin's team is on their way right now, yes?"

"Yep!" Azurill hopped.

"They said they would go get it for us" Marill replied.

"Good for you! You can rest easy knowing Team Skylar's on the case!" green Kecleon grinned.

"Yes, that's true" Marill agreed "They once saved Azurill too. We're so grateful for their help!"

"Good day to you all. Is something the matter?" Dusknoir strolled into the market, looking calm as usual.

"Hello Dusknoir, sir. We're talking about Marill's missing item" green Kecleon explained "Do you remember? We were discussing the very same thing here not too long ago"

"Of course. I believe you're referring to the Water Float?" Dusknoir turned to Azurill and Marill "I seem to recall that you found it on the beach"

"Exactly! Exactly! But now there's more to the story…" green Kecleon took a deep breath, then explained to Dusknoir everything that has happened so far with the Water Float incident.

"I see. That is terrible indeed" Dusknoir's tone changed to one of sympathy "It's hard to imagine why anyone would do something so vile. It must be some pathetic thugs to stoop so low"

"I couldn't agree more!" Kecleon exclaimed "To be so mean-spirited to these children! And to children as young as these brothers! It's utterly unforgivable!"

"One more thing…" Dusknoir locked his fingers together "Where has Team Skylar gone?"

"They went to Amp Plains" Marill replied and Dusknoir deadpanned.

"P-pardon?" Dusknoir's hand went to his chest in shock "Did you say Amp Plains?"

Dusknoir shook his head in disbelief "But in Amp Plains at this time of year, it's the season for…"

"Season for…?" Kecleon asked curiously.

"No! This is ruinous!" Dusknoir said "Team Skylar is in grave danger!"

"What?!" everyone jumped in shock.

"I have to depart to Amp Plains immediately!" and Dusknoir dashed off as fast as he could.

"What?! W-wait!" Kecleon cried after him, but Dusknoir already left.

Far Amp Plains was very different from Amp Plains. While Amp Plains has a silvery sheen to it like a mountain, Far Amp Plains was more brown and much more like a plain. The real and more important difference was the enemy Pokemon. Like in Amp Plains, there were Normal, Bug and Electric type Pokemon. But in Far Amp Plains, the ferociousness of the enemy Pokemon has gotten up. Tauros, Dodrio and Yanmega were common here and were deadly. The Flaffy, Electabuzz and Luxio were lethal as well. Even worse, the Electrike had Lightning Rod, so Niko and Zach's Electric moves were useless.

"Spark!" Zach coated himself in electricity before ramming into a Dodrio, but a nearby Electrike redirected the electricity and turned Zach's Spark into a normal Tackle. Conversely, Niko's Thundershock was completely redirected away from it's target, forcing Niko to rely on Tackle to fight. While all the enemy Pokemon were deadly, at least a couple of them weren't big hassles. The Pichu and Pikachu posed little threat to me and Priscilla, but Zach and Niko both had issues with them, due to Pikachu possessing Lightning Rod.

"Ugh, it's not nice when half of the enemies here have Lightning Rod" Zach groaned as we turned a corner and found the staircase "It would be really useful if WE had it, given how many times you and Priscilla got shocked"

"No kidding" I said as I rubbed the burns on my body from all the Thundershocks and Thunderbolts "I'm just surprised that I'm not paralyzed yet"

And right when I said that, I ran into an Ampharos who used Thunder Wave to paralyze me.

"Shouldn't have said that" I groaned as I endured the attacks from Ampharos before the paralysis wore off. Zach pulled me backwards with his teeth and Priscilla engaged Ampharos, taking him down with a combination Tackle and Quick Attack. Niko took a Cheri Berry out from my treasure bag to cure my paralysis, but suddenly, a Yanmega snatched it and ate it up with Bug Bite. Niko instantly retaliated by blasting it out of the sky with Thundershock. The Yanmega landed in a smoky heap behind us and Zach rushed to finish it off. While that happened, Niko got another Cheri Berry for me to eat.

"Niko, you know my arms and legs are completely immobilized. You have to feed the berry to me yourself" I said as I struggled to move my limbs, but they weighed like solid steel.

"O-okay" Niko reached up to feed me the berry and once I felt the tomato taste in my mouth, I could move my limbs again. It felt like someone lifted a boulder off them.

"Thank you" I stretched my arms to loosen up and caught Niko staring at me "What? Feeding someone a berry is normal"

"Yes, I know. It just uhh… makes you look like a baby" Niko replied, then facepalmed "Sorry, I shouldn't be so blunt in front of our leader"

"No, no, I thought the same at first" I replied, shrugging "I've gotten used to it after all this exploring. It's normal behavior to me now"

"I can tell" Niko nodded "Anyway, Zach is coming back now. Should we join up with Lady Priscilla?"

"Yes, she might of found the stairs by now. Let's go find her"

We ascended the floors in Far Amp Plains, taking down every Pokemon in our path with some difficulty. The Electabuzz were fast and hit hard, the Ampharos were bulky and strong and the Luxray, though rare, were as fierce as lions. I had to Force Palm one in the stomach to avoid having it eat my face. A Tauros charged at us from behind, but Niko stopped it in its tracks with Thunder Wave, allowing Zach to finish it off with a Charge-infused Spark. On the seventh floor, we reached the staircase room.

"Welp, here it is" Priscilla said "The deepest part of Amp Plains"

"According to the note, the Water Float should be here" I said "Be prepared for an ambush everyone"

We climbed the stairs and found ourselves in a barren field surrounded by bolt-stricken rocks and smoked trees. Clearly, this place had some lightning activity going on.

"What a menacing place this is…" Priscilla murmured before lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a boom of thunder.

"It's amazing how lightning and thunder can occur even without rain" I said, staring into the cluster of dark clouds above us "It's like lightning can strike anytime"

"It's dangerous to be around here. Let's look for the Water Float and get out of- Hey!" Priscilla pointed to the back of the field, where a light green band with a sapphire pinned onto it sparkled.

"There's the Water Float!" Priscilla exclaimed "Let's grab it and bring it back to Marill"

Before we could even reach the Water Float though, the field instantly darkened, like a giant was casting their shadow over us.

"Wh-what's happening?!" Priscilla cried in alarm.

"Why did you come here?" a cold, razor sharp voice cut through the air, startling all of us "This is our territory!"

"There's someone here Silvin. We need to hide!" we all took cover behind a large gray rock, but the voice simply laughed.

"Hee hee hee. So you're going to hide like that?" the voice taunted "That's actually kinda cute. Alright, we'd actually be grateful if you kept doing that"

"Huh?"

"We'll sneak quietly to get as close as we can…" the voice dropped to a near whisper "...then, we strike!"

Lightning flashed across the sky once more, but it didn't help cutting through the darkness.

"If we stay here, we're letting them ambush us" I urged "We need to get out in the open and face them head on!"

"Huh. And WHO was the one telling me to be cautious back in Treasure Town?" Priscilla snickered.

"Not the time Priscilla"

"Who are you?!" Zach shouted into the darkness "Show yourself!"

"Ha ha ha!" the voice laughed "I am Manectric! I am… the leader of these Electrike!"

Lightning boomed in the clouds again and the light returned, revealing eight Electrike and one Manectric has surrounded us.

"Now prepare to fight!" Manectric growled and the enemies closed in.

"Everyone! Huddle together and hold a defensive position!" Priscilla commanded "Stay together and don't get dog-piled by more than two enemies at a time!"

"I'm sorry to say this, but that won't work!" Manectric howled, calling down a powerful lightning bolt to strike all of us at once. We managed to sidestep it in time, but the Electrike pounced, pinning of us to the ground. I wrestled with an Electrike for a few seconds, then kneed it off my chest and slammed it to the ground, fainting it. The Manectric charged me with Thunder Fang, but I smashed my Force Palm into his face, blasting him backwards several feet. Meanwhile, Priscilla managed to fight off and faint the Electrike attacking her, but Niko and Zach were having issues getting Electrike off. More so Niko because he specialized in special attacking, not physical ones.

"Niko! Just hang on!" Priscilla dashed in to help, but an Electrike stood in her path, snarling. Before it could attack, Priscilla threw a Stun Seed at its face, rendering it nearly paralyzed. The Electrike on top of Niko viciously ripped the wool off of the sheep to expose his skin and attack, but Priscilla jumped in and knocked Electrike off using Tackle. Niko followed up with his own Tackle and defeated Electrike. Four down, four to go. Meanwhile, Zach was handling two Electrike on his own. Zach glared at the two Electrike and they backed off slightly, quivering in fear.

"Scared of me? Big mistake" Zach lunged and smashed an Electrike to the floor with Tackle, then chomped down on the other with Bite. The Electrike Zach tackled to the ground got up and sunk it's fangs into Zach's neck with Thunder Fang. The Shinx grunted and tried to get the Electrike off, but his grip was strong.

"I need help here!" Zach shouted before the Electrike's teeth pulsed with electricity, delivering a shock straight into Zach's throat "Guh!"

"Get off him!" Niko charged and rammed into the Electrike with Take Down, fainting him as well. Priscilla finished off the last Electrike with Tackle, then turned to me and Manectric still battling. I lunged towards Manectric with Quick Attack, but he dodged and blasted me backwards with Discharge. As I was getting up, struggling to move because of the leftover electricity, Manectric smashed into me with Spark and sent me flying into a rock.

"Silvin!" Priscilla shouted, then turned to Manectric, her eyes blazing with anger "You'll pay for that!"

The Eevee attacked with Quick Attack, but Manectric was too fast, knocking Priscilla back with a strong Discharge. Before Priscilla recovered, Manectric dropped a strong Thunderbolt on her, bringing her to the brink of death.

"He's too fast" Zach observed, then turned to Niko "Both Silvin and Priscilla are knocked out. We need to finish this"

"We need something to deal with his speed" Niko bristled "And I have just the thing for it"

Niko shook his wooly body with Cotton Spore and they surrounded Manectric, heavy wool gathering around his legs.

"What?! Gah, I… I can't move!" Manectric roared in anger.

"And now for another" Niko summoned Cotton Spore again and obstructed Manectric's face too, blinding him.

"If you really want to be cruel, you could stuff wool down his throat" Zach suggested.

"I'm not THAT cruel" Niko smirked "The wool will lock Manectric in place for a while, so go get your hits in while you can"

"Got it" Zach rushed in and began battering Manectric with a variety of attacks, ranging from Tackle to Bite. Of course, his Electric moves were still useless due to Manectric's Lightning Rod and all the wool getting in the way, but Zach still weakened down the enemy Pokemon very well. When he was done, Manectric collapsed on the ground, covered in a bloody mess of wool.

"All of your allies are defeated and you're heavily wounded" Zach said firmly "Please, just allow us to get the Water Float and we'll be out of your territory immediately"

While Zach parlayed with the Manectric, Niko went to check on me and Priscilla. My back hurt from slamming into a rock, but generally, it was nothing a Oran Berry couldn't heal. Priscilla actually consumed a Reviver Seed after being struck by Thunderbolt to avoid death, so she was fine as well. We made it back to the center with Zach and Manectric when Manectric suddenly roared, expelling all the wool off his body and generating a giant field of electricity.

"Wh-what are you…"

"You dare?!" Manectric snarled as the field of electricity around him grew stronger.

"We already told you! We didn't come here to make claims on your territory!" Priscilla shouted.

"Enough! Take this!" Manectric yelled and fired an explosive Charge Beam straight at us, flying at the speed of light. I braced for impact but then, someone rushed by me, equally as fast and intercepted the beam, nullifying it entirely.

"Stop!" Dusknoir shouted and everyone gasped in shock "Stop this instant! Their words are sincere!"

"Well, how do you-"

"They trespass, but have no intentions of making claim on your territory" Dusknoir stopped Manectric cold with words alone "Let them be"

"Who are you?!" Manectric growled.

"I am the explorer Dusknoir!" Dusknoir announced "Manectric, you have every right to be angry. Especially in light of what your tribe has suffered on these grounds. Your hostility towards any that trespass is natural!"

"D-Dusknoir? What are you…" Priscilla could only stare in shock as Dusknoir subdued the entire Manectric tribe with his words.

"This place is your haven! A place where you find solace!" Dusknoir continued "I understand that completely. On behalf of these unwitting travelers, I offer the sincerest apology. They entered here unbidden, but did so without malice. They mean no harm! I promise they will leave once their errand is complete"

"Hmm… you seem to know a lot about us Dusknoir" Manectric admitted, with a hint of respect in his voice "You make the claim… that they mean no harm…"

Silence.

"So be it! I decide to believe your words Dusknoir" Manectric decided "I will allow some time. I expect you gone when we return"

"A couple seconds is all that we need" Priscilla said.

"Hmph" Manectric turned his back on us "Come everyone"

Manectric and the Electrike tribe all left the plain, leaving us with the Water Float.

"Thank you so much Dusknoir sir" Priscilla smiled with gratitude "You saved us"

"No, no. No need to thank me" Dusknoir replied modestly "When I heard you went to Amp Plains, I knew I had to go rescue you"

"Who were they though? Why were they acting so aggressive?" Zach asked.

"They are a tribe of Manectric and Electrike" Dusknoir explained "They are a nomadic tribe that always stays on the move. They spend most of their time finding a hospitable place for the tribe to stay"

"And Amp Plains was that hospitable place?" Niko guessed.

"Yes. In this time of year, Amp Plains is often lashed by thunderstorms" Dusknoir continued, clasping his hands together "They find it to their liking, so they dwell in Amp Plains around this time"

"But why were they acting so aggressive?" Zach repeated his question "They attacked without giving us a chance to explain ourselves"

"Yes and that leads to my next explanation" Dusknoir stared into the cloudy sky "Tragically, the tribe was attacked by enemies here without warning. They suffered terrible casualties and injuries"

"So that's why the tribe was so hostile towards us" I nodded in understanding "Tragic history"

"Exactly. Manectric's group has been sensitive to trespassers ever since that incident" Dusknoir said "If anyone trespassed these grounds… they would strike before talk, in fear of being stricken!"

"And overtime, that became a staple in Manectric's tribe?" Niko asked.

"Yes"

"Guys, we don't have a lot of time to get out" I reminded everyone and pointed to the Water Float "We came here to retrieve the Water Float and we better leave before Manectric's tribe comes back"

"Of course. Thank you for reminding us Silvin" we went over to the Water Float and I picked it up, throwing it into my treasure bag.

"I'm still wondering about something" Priscilla said as we began to leave "I know Team Skull was behind placing the Water Float here, but why did they do it? Was it simply to get back at us for something?"

"I wouldn't know the "why" but I know the "what"" Dusknoir said, glancing over to the large rocks on the field "Team Skull put the Water Float here and delivered their note to you so they can draw you over to this area. They know Manectric's tribe guards their territory fiercely, so they put the float here with the intention of you and Manectric facing off. You were set up to be massacred by Manectric's tribe"

Dusknoir turned to giant rock on his right "Isn't that right, you sneaky scoundrels?"

."They are here, aren't they?" Priscilla glared to where Dusknoir was looking at.

"It's about time you came out of hiding and showed yourselves!" Dusknoir's voice echoed through the empty field.

Silence held for a few seconds.

"Chaw-ha-ha! So you knew all along! No point in hiding then!" Skuntank, Koffing and Zubat all came out from behind the rock and faced us.

"I knew it was you thugs!" Priscilla growled.

"Why did you guys do this?" Zach asked, cold fury edged in his voice.

"Whoa-ho-ho. We were going to wait for you to get stomped by Manectric…" Koffing began "Then we were going to step in and mop up afterwards!"

"Heh-heh! But we didn't count on this guy meddling!" Zubat said.

Dusknoir approached the three, his hands glowing with dark energy "Shall we settle this?"

"Chaw-ha! Sure, if it was just Team Skylar" Skuntank did a good job of hiding his fear "You can bet we'd rough em up good!"

"Heh, what makes me any different?" Dusknoir asked, smirking.

"Against the world famous Dusknoir though…" Skuntank backed away slowly "That'll be a different story!"

Dusknoir got closer to Team Skull, bringing his Shadow Punch closer to Skuntank's face.

"Let's skedaddle boys!" Skuntank called.

"Yeah!" Zubat and Koffing agreed in unison and the three dashed off.

"Ugh, those jerks!" Priscilla stamped her paw on the ground, startling Niko and Zach "I'll never forgive them!"

"They are certainly quick when it comes to… skedaddling" Dusknoir dispelled the shadows on his hand and turned back to us "We better leave before the Manectric tribe returns. Come along now"

We returned to Treasure Town and gave the Water Float back to Azurill and Marill at Kecleon Market. Both brothers jumped for joy.

"Oh wow! You got our Water Float back!" Azurill cheered joyfully "Yay! Thank you!"

"You saved Azurill way back then and now this!" Marill grinned wide "I don't know how we can ever repay you for this!"

"Ha ha, you don't need to Marill" Priscilla laughed "You and Azurill's happiness is good enough!"

"If you want anyone to thank, thank Dusknoir" I said, glancing at Dusknoir beside me, watching the scene with an amused smile "If he didn't came to rescue us, we wouldn't be back to give your Water Float"

"Thank you Dusknoir!" Marill said.

"Thank you, Dusknoir, sir!" Azurill exclaimed.

"No trouble at all. I'm very happy for you" Dusknoir nodded "It's wonderful that you got your Water Float back"

"I must say! It's so like the great Dusknoir to be so modest!" green Kecleon piped up "I must commend Team Skylar's superb work as well!"

"After all, they completed a difficult job yet again!" purple Kecleon continued "When rescuing Azurill, you were fast at pinpointing the child's whereabouts!"

"Ah! That reminds me…" Priscilla turned to Dusknoir "Dusknoir, do you mind if we ask you about something?"

"Ask away, young Priscilla" Dusknoir replied.

"It's something about my friend Silvin" Priscilla gestured to me "Before we were aware of Azurill being in danger, Silvin saw Azurill's location in a dream. That's why we were able to locate Azurill so easily"

"Pardon? A dream?" Dusknoir repeated curiously "Like a vision?"

"Yes. When Silvin touches something related to an event, he can see a vision either in the past or future" Priscilla explained "That's how we found out Azurill's location and Drowzee being the outlaw before too long"

"There's no mistaking it then. That is called a Dimensional Scream" Dusknoir said.

"A Dimensional Scream? That uhh… sorta sounds silly" I said "The name I mean"

"What?! You know about this Dusknoir?" Priscilla turned to me "Silvin, we need to ask Dusknoir more about this. He might know something about your past!"

"Is this alright with you Silvin?" Dusknoir asked.

"Yes, it's fine. I want to know more about my forgotten past" I answered "Any information would be good"

"Very well. Mind if you give me some more backstory so I may connect the dots?" Dusknoir spread his hands "You can't make conclusions without evidence after all"

"Let's start on the beach then! That's where I first met Silvin after all!" Priscilla bounded towards the crossroads "Come on, you two!"

"Isn't she enthusiastic?"

"She seems more excited to learn about me than I do…"

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 26_

 _Moves: Force Palm, Bite, Quick Attack and Focus Punch_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 24_

 _Moves: Tackle, Quick Attack, Bite and Sand Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Zach, Shinx_

 _Level 23_

 _Moves: Spark, Bite, Charge and Tackle_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Niko, Mareep_

 _Level 20_

 _Moves: Thundershock, Cotton Spore, Take Down and Thunder Wave_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **Enter Zach and Niko, the two next recruited members of Team Skylar. They are the two Electric types I myself picked up when I played EoS and their names are based off my close friends on Discord. Zapdos appearing on the seventh floor is a reference to how Zapdos appears in Amp Plain's 7th floor if you're carrying a Mystery Part in the treasure bag. The Electrike being scared of Zach comes from Shinx having the ability Intimidate, which lowers surrounding enemy Pokemon's attack. Coming up next is Silvin and Priscilla's conversation with Dusknoir about the Dimensional Scream along with the news of the third Time Gear being stolen, sending Team Skylar to the Northern Desert. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of the next chapter and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	14. Chapter 13: Sands Of Mystery

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 13: Sands of Mystery

Me and Dusknoir followed Priscilla down to the beach, where Priscilla showed Dusknoir exactly where she found me unconscious.

"I see… so you found Silvin unconscious here" Dusknoir gazed longingly to the calm sea in the afternoon sun "Then you regain consciousness, yet lost your memory"

"He only remembered his name" Priscilla said as she too gazed at the sea with a content smile "And the memory of being a human before!"

"I beg your pardon?!" Dusknoir's single eye went wide "H-human?"

Dusknoir turned to me "But he looks like a Pokemon in every obvious way!"

Priscilla shook her head "That's true… I guess it's even beyond the great Dusknoir's understanding. But we're certain that something triggered Silvin's memory loss along with their transformation into a Pokemon"

"A human… with the Dimensional Scream ability…" Dusknoir turned to me "Tell me your name"

"Huh? But you already know"

"Just say it again please"

"Silvin"

"Ah, I see…" Dusknoir stared into the sky "You are… Silvin…"

"Does… the name mean anything to you?" Priscilla asked slowly.

"...No" Dusknoir shook his head "The name means nothing to me sadly"

"Is it just me or did I see the faintest of smiles on Dusknoir's face?" I thought to myself "Or was it my imagination?"

"I'm sincerely sorry I cannot help you with this" Dusknoir apologized "However, I do know about the ability Silvin possesses"

"Really now? Tell us more" Priscilla said.

"The ability to see something in the past or future by touching something…" Dusknoir began "It's known as a Dimensional Scream"

"If you have time, explain the… odd name after please" I said, crossing my arms "Dimensional Scream is a weird name"

"I'll explain after" Dusknoir promised, then continued on "How such an ability is learned is unknown. But sounds and images slice across boundaries of time, breaching objects and reaching Pokemon…"

Dusknoir stared into the clear blue sky "... and manifest as visions. That is all I know about the ability sadly"

"So Silvin has an ability as mysterious, yet incredible as the Dimensional Scream…" Priscilla glanced at me.

"Perhaps we can discuss this at length later?" Dusknoir asked "After all, Silvin's transformation into a Pokemon is a phenomenon unheard of by anyone before! I'll give you my full cooperation!"

"Oh, you will? Thank you Dusknoir!" Priscilla grinned.

"To be perfectly candid..." Dusknoir cupped his hand under his chin "I can't stand knowing that there's something I don't know! Quite honestly, that's the whole truth of it!"

Dusknoir began to laugh and we laughed along with him, all while staring into the vast sea beside us. A shadow flew by us and we looked up, seeing a large amount of Pelipper flying in the air.

"Hm, there's more Pelipper in the air than usual…" Priscilla observed.

"Is something the matter?" Dusknoir wondered aloud.

"Hey!" we heard Bidoof's voice across the beach and turned as he walked up to us.

"Hello Bidoof. Something wrong?" Priscilla asked.

"I… I finally found… you all…" Bidoof panted.

"What's the big hurry? You're all worn out" Priscilla commented.

"You look like you sprinted from the guild's second floor to here" I added.

"That's exactly what I did" Bidoof's expression turned serious "The call has been put out! All apprentices are to report back to the guild immediately!"

"Uh oh, something's up…" Priscilla's face quickly turned to a troubled one.

"I'll go with you" Dusknoir said and all four of us raced back to the guild.

When we arrived, we found everyone gathered around the outlaw notice board.

"Everyone's here, yup yup!" Bidoof reported to Chatot.

"What's the emergency?" Dusknoir asked.

"Another Time Gear was stolen!" Chatot cried, releasing a gasp of shock from me, Priscilla, Bidoof and Dusknoir.

"Where… where was the Time Gear stolen from?" Priscilla nervously asked.

"It was stolen from… from…" Chatot couldn't force out the words.

"Uhm, what's the problem?" Bidoof asked "Did it happen somewhere you don't want to talk about?"

"You don't think that… the stolen Time Gear is from Fogbound Lake…?" Priscilla asked quietly.

"Yes… it's true" Sunflora answered mournfully "The Time Gear from Fogbound Lake was stolen"

"What?! But how?" Bidoof cried.

"The Time Gear at Fogbound Lake…" Priscilla began "Only we knew about it, right?"

Silence. The entire guild didn't say a word.

"Does that mean… someone leaked the location of Fogbound Lake…?"

The moment Priscilla said those words, everyone burst into rage.

"WHAT?! That was totally uncalled for!" Loudred stomped his feet in anger.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't trust your fellow members?!" Corphish cried.

"Okay! Okay! That was uncalled for I know" Priscilla sighed "I'm just offering the possibility that someone could of leaked the location. That's how the Time Gear got stolen, yes?"

"I wouldn't blame Priscilla for leaping to that conclusion" Sunflora said "After all, this horrible tragedy happened right after our expedition!"

"Just one moment" Dusknoir interrupted "I'm afraid I misunderstand. There was a Time Gear in Fogbound Lake?"

"Oh! Erm…" everyone struggled to think of an excuse, but Dusknoir continued.

"I didn't know such a thing. Did I not hear quite a different tale about your recent expedition?" Dusknoir pressed "I recall being told that your expedition to Fogbound Lake ended in failure"

I apologize, great Dusknoir" Wigglytuff frowned "We made a promise, so we couldn't tell even you, Dusknoir"

"Anyway… a lone intruder sneaked into Fogbound Lake…" Chatot summed up "... Defeated Uxie and made off with the Time Gear"

"Is… is Uxie alright?" Priscilla asked nervously.

"Yes, he's fine" Chatot replied "Suffered terrible injuries to his side, but the medics say he'll make it. He's under the protection of Magnezone's police squad"

"Glad to hear that" both me and Priscilla breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wait, there's more" Chatot said "According to Uxie's victim statement, the intruder's identity has been revealed"

"Then fess up! What kind of critter are we dealing with?" Bidoof asked.

"There's already a wanted poster up for the thief" Chatot gestured to the outlaw notice board "See for yourself"

Me, Priscilla, Dusknoir and Bidoof all took a look at the outlaw notice board. Pinned dead on the center was a wanted poster for a Pokemon named Grovyle.

"Oof, that's one nasty piece of work!" Bidoof remarked "He's a… 10 star rated outlaw?!"

"Stealing the Time Gears is a global crime and can cause the world's end" I reminded Bidoof "A 10 star rating is an understatement"

"The poster just arrived today based on Uxie's statement" Chatot explained "It arrived as an all-points bulletin"

"Oh, so that's why all the Pelipper were flying around!" Bidoof realized "They were going all over the world, distributing wanted posters for Grovyle"

"Officer Magnezone obviously doesn't want to see things worsen" Chatot continued "They put an extremely high bounty on Grovyle. Whoever catches him is practically set for life with all the Poke. That's how dangerous of a criminal Grovyle is"

"He's so dangerous that once he's caught, he'll be given the death sentence?"

"Guaranteed. They might execute him the moment they capture him"

Uneasy murmuring rung through the guild's crew.

"It might be just me but…" Sunflora piped up "I'm ashamed of showing my face to Uxie now that the Time Gear's been stolen. He probably thinks one of us leaked the secret"

"Hey, hey! Here's what sticks in my craw!" Corphish exclaimed "The view there has been ruined!"

"The world can end if Grovyle escapes with two more Time Gears and THAT'S what you're worried about?" Loudred arched his eyebrows.

"Urrrr…" Wigglytuff began shaking behind Chatot.

"Hey! Guildmaster…" Chimecho's expression quickly turned to horror "Oh no!"

"Urrr…. Urrrrr… Urrrr… Urrrrr!" Wigglytuff shook even more, as if he was about to cry.

"Someone get a Perfect Apple!" I shouted, but nobody could move as Wigglytuff began causing an earthquake with his approaching tantrum.

"Urrrrrrrr….!" Wigglytuff opened his mouth, but suddenly raised his hands in the air "YOOM… TAH!"

I stared at Priscilla with wide eyes "What in the actual hell just happened?"

Priscilla was just as speechless.

"Everyone! We'll catch Grovyle!" Wigglytuff shouted "We'll catch that thief! I vow it upon the name of Wigglytuff's Guild!"

Wigglytuff turned to Chatot "Chatot, if you will!"

"Y-yes!" Chatot squeaked, then turned to us "From here on out, we'll be putting out full focus on capturing Grovyle! Do your absolute best to bring Grovyle to justice!"

"It goes without saying!" Loudred rallied.

"Hey, hey, hey! There's no way we can let any more Time Gears be stolen!" Corphish exclaimed.

"Come on everyone, let's pull together!" Sunflora cheered "Let's do it for Uxie!"

"Wigglytuff…" Dusknoir turned everyone's attention to him "I believe I understand the situation now. I will join your guild's pursuit in Grovyle"

"T-thank you so much!" Wigglytuff grinned.

"Golly! Having the great Dusknoir in our corner is mighty heartening!" Bidoof exclaimed.

"Hey, hey! It's an honor!" Corphish called.

"No, no. The honor is mine entirely" Dusknoir replied.

"At present, the Guildmaster and I will confer" Chatot said "We'll devise a strategy to catch Grovyle. In the meantime, you should get prepared to do searches. We'll be sending teams over to areas we think to have Time Gears so we can guard them"

"Return here when you're ready to leave" Chatot finished "Alright everyone, let's outdo ourselves!"

"HOORAY!"

We found ourselves in Treasure Town, stocking up on supplies. We restocked out treasure bags with apples, Oran Berries, utility seeds, orbs and throwing items, then headed over to Duskull Bank to deposit out money.

"I foresee… catasphothe if Grovyle isn't stopped…" Duskull said ominously as we handed our current Poke "I beg of you… stop Grovyle before it's too late"

"You have our word on it Duskull. Keep our money safe while we're gone" Priscilla replied.

"Of course. Your money will be as safe as a body in a coffin will be. Heh-heh-heh…" Duskull said "Safe travels"

We found Henry, Zach, Niko, Zelot and Sara resting at Sharpedo Bluff.

"Hey Silvin and Priscilla. Been a while" Zelot greeted as we entered our "personal" camp of sorts. As Zach, Niko, Zelot and Sara joined us, we had to expand our little camp on Sharpedo Bluff. We bought more tents and even had a bonfire in the middle for when the others ate their meals. Once we got more members however, the camp on Sharpedo Bluff might have to move to either the beach or a nearby area like Lush Prairie.

"I can tell something's wrong…" Niko said when he looked at me and Priscilla's faces "Tell us what happened"

"We're going to be heading out later today to scour the land for Time Gear locations" I explained as all our teammates gathered around "Since we will likely go to an unknown location, I was thinking of bringing someone experienced with us"

"You can just say "We're bringing Zelot and Sara"" Priscilla smirked "There's no need to put it in lighter words"

"You're our team leader Silvin. Your decisions are based on what's best for Team Skylar" Zach scratched a nearby tree with his claw "I understand that you want someone capable and experienced so they can hold their own in an unfamiliar location, right?"

"Yes" I relaxed and faced my comrades "I also want teammates with plenty of type coverage. Henry only knows Normal and Flying type moves while Zach and Niko only know Electric and Normal moves. Zelot and Sara have the best overall coverage, which can give us an advantage no matter where we go"

"Well thought. Did Priscilla tell you beforehand?" Sara teased.

"Ah crap, you found me out" I slumped in defeat "And here I thought I could appear as a smart leader"

"Whatever the case, it's a good plan" Zelot patted me on the shoulder "Me and Sara will accompany you two then. Simply tell us when you're ready to go and we'll come along"

"Thanks Zelot. We'll be back after Chatot assigns us a location to search" I nodded before heading back to the guild with Priscilla.

"Now, I see everyone's with us!" Chatot surveyed the crowd and began the briefing "First and foremost! This should go without saying: Grovyle will appear wherever Time Gears are located. But where are the Time Gears? That is the question, but we don't have an answer"

Chatot turned to Dusknoir "And therefore, we have relied on the great Dusknoir for ideas. Together, we have identified several locations where the Time Gears may be found. We ask that everyone split into groups and investigate each potential site"

Chatot glanced over to Loudred "First, Loudred and Corphish will be investigating the Eastern Forest. That's the huge forest off to the east obviously"

"Got it!" Loudred said.

"Hey, hey! We'll do our best!" Corphish promised.

"Next, Bidoof, Sunflora and Dugtrio! I'd like you to investigate Crystal Cave up north" Chatot continued

"Yup, yup! Will do!" Bidoof said.

"Understood" Dugtrio said stoically.

"Oh my gosh! I'll search hard!" Sunflora vowed.

"And finally, Silvin and Priscilla! You two are assigned to the Northern Desert" Chatot finished.

"It's the desert in the northwest, to be exact" Dusknoir said.

"We understand" Priscilla nodded and rolled up her Wonder Map.

"Um… what about me?" Diglett asked.

"Diglett will remain at the guild" Chatot informed "We can't leave it completely unattended, you know"

"Croagunk and I are staying behind too" Chimecho said "So you aren't alone Diglett!"

"Now let's find the Time Gears everyone!" Wigglytuff rallied "YOOM TAH!"

"HOORAY!"

Everyone dispersed to head to their assigned location. We grabbed Zelot and Sara at Sharpedo Bluff, said our goodbyes to Zach, Niko and Henry and departed to the Northern Desert.

Hours later, we arrived at the entrance to Northern Desert, marked by two low cliffs that used to be tall, but sunken by the sand.

"The Northern Desert is through here" Priscilla said, staring at the vast sea of sand "You'd think that being up north, you wouldn't see a desert here"

"The world is a strange place and science doesn't always predict what nature will do" Sara remarked "Whatever happens, it's best we be careful in the desert. I heard it's ravaged by sandstorms"

"Regardless of the risk, we have to move through" I said firmly "If a Time Gear really is here, then Grovyle is guaranteed to strike. We need to find the gear first and protect it from Grovyle"

"What are we waiting for then? Let's move" Zelot nodded.

"Right. We're going in everyone!" I led my comrades into the Northern Desert mystery dungeon.

Northern Desert was just as I expected. Full of sand and full of Ground and Rock type Pokemon. Cubone, Baltoy, Aron and Larvitar were everywhere here, along with Cacnea and Cacturne. On occasion, we would encounter Trapinch, Carnivine, Rhyhorn and Lairon as well. Zelot's Leaf Blade and Sara's Magical Leaf proved essential here, as it was super effective on everything here except for the Cacnea, Cacturne, Carnivine, Aron and Lairon. Fortunately, me and Zelot had Fighting type moves to handle the Aron and Lairons.

"Aside from the place being unbearably hot, Northern Desert doesn't seem too tough" Priscilla remarked as she picked up an Iron Thorn and put it in her treasure bag.

"Don't get comfortable yet. The moment a sandstorm starts, we'll have to proceed much more carefully" Zelot warned.

We climbed the staircase to the ninth floor, where we were assaulted by a flurry of sand flying by.

"Sandstorm! Everyone, cover your mouths!" Sara called as the sand battered us from all directions. The sand stung as it hit my skin, even causing small scratches. A Sandshrew rolled towards us, preparing to use Crush Claw. I attacked first with Force Palm, but the Sandshrew disappeared like a mirage and struck me from behind with Dig.

"Ugh!" I coughed up a mouthful of sand "How did he-"

Priscilla lunged forward with Quick Attack, but the Sandshrew uses the sandstorm to mess up Priscilla's accuracy and he attacked the Eevee from behind with Scratch. Zelot attempted to hit it with Leaf Blade, but he too was hopeless against Sandshrew. Luckily, Sara's Magical Leaf ignores illusions or mirages affecting accuracy, so it hit the Sandshrew spot on, taking it down in a single hit.

"How was he able to do that?" I tried to ask before clamping my mouth shut to avoid another mouthful of sand.

"It's an ability Sandshrew and Sandslash have called Sand Veil" Zelot explained "In a sandstorm like this, they naturally blend in and are harder to see"

"In that case, we should leave the Sandshrews and Sandslashs to Sara" Priscilla turned to Sara "Don't exhaust Magical Leaf's PP. Conserve it for when we have to face Pokemon with Sand Veil"

"Understood" Sara nodded.

We continued onwards, shielding each other from the sandstorm. Anytime a Sandshrew or Sandslash came up, Sara would blast them with Magical Leaf. Heading into the upper levels of Northern Desert, the sand and rock turned from golden yellow to dark red, like the sand was bathed in blood.

"The red colour of this sand… I wonder what's the story behind it" Priscilla murmured as she picked up a pawful of red sand, then dropped it back on the ground "The colour of the sand is like blood"

"Really makes you wonder what the Northern Desert used to be" I nodded "Did it use to be a flourishing civilization swept by the endless sands? Is the red sand here the product of all the Pokemon buried beneath the earth?"

"That's awfully gruesome" Sara laughed "But interesting, to say the least. I'm sure in the near future, someone will uncover the history of Northern Desert"

"Or you know, it could be just a normal wasteland with unique red sand near the end" Zelot shrugged "Could be as simple as that"

"Hopefully it is. I don't want to trip over a skeleton if MY theory is true" I laughed.

Eventually, we reached the end of the dungeon on the fifteenth floor. The blood red sand turned back to it's usual gold as we stepped out to a clearing with many quicksand pits spiraling in the ground in front of us.

"The sand here's being sucked in like whirlpools!" Priscilla remarked as she glanced around the area "But I don't spot a Time Gear around here…"

"This is the deepest point of the desert, so we saw everything" Zelot felt the ground, as if checking for some sort of secret under the sand "If the Time Gear isn't here, then Northern Desert doesn't have one"

"It's true that we explored all of Northern Desert and didn't find a Time Gear…" Sara smiled "... But did we explore under the desert?"

"Under the desert?" Zelot stared at Sara with an confused look "Pray tell Sara. How crazy are you right now?"

"Crazy enough to keep my sanity" the Mismagius countered with a smirk "What I mean is that there could be another area beneath the sands. If so, the quicksand pits are the way in"

"It's too risky" Priscilla scraped her paw against the sand "If what you say isn't true, we'll be jumping straight into death with the quicksand"

"I won't end my life by suffocating under the sand" Zelot said firmly "Let's head home and report what we found"

"Sounds good. Ready to leave Silvin?" Priscilla turned to me, then turned her head "Silvin?"

"I know this place" I thought to myself "The same feeling I felt at Fogbound Lake. Does that mean this place is connected to my past? Or is it just my imagination again…?"

"Hey Silvin. Silvin?" Priscilla waved her hand in front of my face "You spaced out for a while. Something wrong?"

"... N-no. It's nothing" I shook my head "Let's go back to the guild and report our information. Then we can let Chatot plan our next move"

And with that, we set off back home, leaving my feeling of familiarity behind…

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 28_

 _Moves: Force Palm, Quick Attack, Bite and Focus Punch_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 25_

 _Moves: Tackle, Quick Attack, Bite and Sand Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Zelot, Gallade_

 _Level 28_

 _Moves: Psycho Cut, Leaf Blade, Night Slash and Brick Break_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Sara, Mismagius_

 _Level 27_

 _Moves: Magical Leaf, Psywave, Shadow Ball and Confuse Ray_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **And that was Northern Desert! The Sandshrew and Sandslash there are notorious for causing untold amounts of rage from players due to sandstorm + Sand Veil. I remember having to waste 4 PP on Absorb to even hit them when I first played EoS. Coming up next is the revisit to Northern Desert, followed by Quicksand Cave and Quicksand Pit. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	15. Chapter 14: Depths of the Desert

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 14: Depths of the Desert

"What?! So everyone went on their searches…" Priscilla repeated Chatot's last words "And found nothing?!"

"Disappointing" Dugtrio said simply.

"That's what happened, all right!" Sunflora nodded.

"Hey, hey! We went out to the Eastern Forest, just like we were told!" Corphish piped up "But hey! There's nothing really there but the forest!"

"And as for Crystal Cave, yup yup, it was chock-full of crystals!" Bidoof exclaimed

"Okay, what are you blushing about now?"

"H-huh? Nothing! It just looked so pretty that I couldn't help take a crystal for myself…" Bidoof stammered, embarrassed.

"Ooh! When did you pick that up?" Sunflora asked "I was with you the whole time and I never noticed!"

"Bidoof" Dugtrio said sternly "Our objective was to find the Time Gear. We all failed to complete that mission, yet you had the nerve to collect a souvenir, completely unrelated to the mission! Who do you think you are?!"

"Calm down Dugtrio, it's just a crystal" I said in a calm voice "Even if Bidoof didn't pick it up, it wouldn't help the mission. Just let it go alright? I'm sure the crystal looks nice"

"I just wanted a tiny treasure for myself that's all" Bidoof whimpered, backing away from Dugtrio.

"Dusknoir, sir, I regret to say it but…" Chatot turned to Dusknoir beside him "Our search efforts ended fruitlessly"

"Ah, this is vexing" Dusknoir cupped his hand under his chin thoughtfully "I thought the search locations we selected held promise. I blame myself for the lack of knowledge"

Chatot flapped in the air "My goodness, no! There's no need to blame yourself! Why, it was thanks only to your vast knowledge that we came up with our plan!"

"Nonetheless, our efforts have ended in failure. That's a fact" Dusknoir said firmly "But being hard on ourselves is pointless. Let us reconsider our plan and devise a new strategy tomorrow!"

"Yes, let's do that!" Chatot grinned "And may we find success together!"

Chatot turned back to us "That's how it stands everyone! That's enough work for today. Rest up and prepare for tomorrow!"

"UNDERSTOOD!"

Dinner passed quickly and before long, me and Priscilla were in bed, wishing each other goodnight. The next morning, we joined morning briefing as usual.

"Ahem! And that brings us back to today…" Chatot just finished recapping yesterday's events "Presently, the great Dusknoir and I are working on a new strategy. While we're developing this plan, I want you all to search for the Time Gears on your own initiative. That is all. Alright everyone! Work hard again today!"

"HOORAY!"

"We supposed to search for the Time Gear on our own today" Priscilla said after the guild dispersed "Where should we search?"

"Good question. We can search all we like, but we don't have any clues…" I rubbed the ground with my feet, deep in thought "Well, I have a hunch, but it doesn't seem conclusive"

"Anything would help. What's your hunch?" Priscilla asked.

"While we were at the quicksand pits at the end of Northern Desert, I felt the same feeling as I did back in Fogbound Lake" I explained "The feeling that I've been there before"

"And you only felt that feeling near the quicksand pits?" the Eevee tilted her head curiously.

"Yes"

"Hmm… it wouldn't hurt to go back there…" Priscilla thought aloud, then shrugged "It's not like we have anything else. Come on, let's go get Zelot and Sara"

A few hours later, we were back at the quicksand pits.

"Well, we're back" Priscilla gazed around "But nothing seems to have changed. Just golden sand, quicksand pits and plenty of worn down rocks"

"There's no Time Gear here" Zelot insisted. He's been against coming back here ever since we dragged him out here. Logically, Zelot was right but…

"I can still feel it though" I rubbed the sand with my hand, scooping up a pile of golden sand, then dumping it back on the ground "It's faint, but this place still looks familiar"

"Well, we aren't getting a lot out of that" Zelot crossed his arms "There's no way to move forward so…"

"No way to move forward…" I repeated, then snapped "I got it!"

"Looks like Silvin's got an idea" Sara smiled sweetly "Go on, tell us"

"Zelot says that there's no way to move forward" I explained "While that's true, we still have somewhere to go in the desert"

"No… you aren't implying…"

"Yes. We aren't moving forward in the desert. We're moving _under_ the desert" I declared, pointing at the largest quicksand pit in the center.

"That's crazy. What would happen if your assumption is wrong?" Zelot protested "We'll be sucked into the pit and suffocate!"

"Exploring is all about taking risks to discover new areas" Sara beamed at me "Ranging from disabling a trap to risking your life… the true mark of an explorer is the ability to take risks"

"You know, this reminds me of another time Silvin suggested we risk death" Priscilla stared into the clear blue sky "A couple months ago, me and Silvin were assigned to investigate a suspicious waterfall nearby town"

"And?"

"At first, we didn't know what was suspicious about it" Priscilla continued "But then, Silvin suggested that we leap through the raging waterfall, since he saw a vision of a Pokemon doing it and landing on a cave afterwards"

"Well Silvin? Did you experience a vision this time?" Zelot asked expectantly.

I shut my eyes and concentrated. Nothing happened.

"No, I'm not getting anything" I replied, disappointed "However, I still believe that the only way forward is by going into the quicksand"

"Why don't I take a look first? I'm a Ghost type so I can pass through solid objects at will" Sara volunteered "I'll go down the quicksand pit and see if Silvin's hunch is true"

"Go ahead Sara. We'll be here waiting for you" I said as the Mismagius brushed past me and went down the quicksand, phasing through it like a ghost. A few minutes later, Sara returned, reporting that there was a cave under the sand.

"Told you" I smirked, but Sara nearly collapsed onto me when she made it back.

"S-sorry. Phasing through walls requires a lot of… energy..." Sara apologized while Zelot fetched an Apple for her "It's why I don't do it often"

"I'll keep that in mind" I nodded "But anyway, you said there was a cave under the quicksand?"

"Yes. And the quicksand runs deep enough that you won't suffocate before reaching the cave. I promise that" Sara munched on the apple vigorously. How a Ghost type Pokemon ate, I will never know.

"So that means there IS more to explore here!" Priscilla stared at the quicksand with new excitement "Once Sara's finished eating, we'll go down"

After Sara was done, all four of us prepared to jump into the pit.

"Alright everyone. Three… two… one… JUMP!" I shouted and we all leaped into the quicksand pit, rapidly being sucked in by the sand. As the sand reached my eyes, my vision went black and I began to lose air. I prayed that Sara measured the distance properly because if she didn't, then me, Priscilla and Zelot would all be dead. Fortunately, before I could lose my breath, we landed on solid ground, surrounded by piles of sand. Small streams of sand trinkled from the ceiling from where we fell.

"Well would you look at that? Your hunch was right after all" Zelot turned to me with a smile "I should learn to trust you more"

"The hunch was crazy in the first place, so it makes sense for you to protest" I replied "You had every right to mistrust me"

"Of course. But now I fully admit that you were right and I was wrong" Zelot nodded "Anyway, shall we explore this area?"

"Yes. The Time Gear could be hidden here after all" I nodded to my comrades "Let's go. The Time Gear search begins"

"If a Time Gear really is hidden here, there's no way that Grovyle can find it" Priscilla said as we entered Quicksand Cave "You have to be suicidal to jump into the quicksand pits"

"I guess we're a bunch of suicides then" I joked, then deadpanned when I saw Priscilla, Zelot and Sara's unamused looks "Not funny?"

"Death isn't funny"

"R-right. Anyway, we're moving in. Stay together everyone"

Quicksand Cave, as Priscilla decided to name it, was mostly the same as Northern Desert. Humid, filled with sand and every enemy Pokemon was Rock or Ground type. Nincada, Pupitar, Sandslash and Vibrava made up the bulk of the enemy Pokemon found here, while the occasional Hippopotas, Ninjask, Mawile and Skorupi attacked us. Priscilla actually screamed in horror when we encountered our first Tyranitar, but he crumbled to pieces with my first Force Palm, so he wasn't all that terrifying. The real horror were the Sandslash.

"We're in an underground cave, yet the Hippopotas can summon sandstorms at will" Zelot grumbled "Just… lovely"

Thanks to Sand Veil, the Sandslash were impossible to attack, with both moves and offensive seeds. Thankfully, Sara's Magical Leaf provided a surefire way to deal with the Sandslash if a sandstorm was active. If it wasn't, we saved Magical Leaf's PP by letting Zelot defeat them with Leaf Blade. Later on, we found two new TMs in a room together along with some gummis.

"This looks suspicious" Sara warned before we entered the room "I heard that any room in a dungeon with good items is bait for a Monster House"

"We DO have utility orbs in case of Monster Houses" I brought out a Slumber Orb from my treasure bag "So we go in, use the Slumber Orb if there's a Monster House, grab the loot, then get out of here"

"A risk-taker, aren't you…" Zelot shrugged "But it sounds like you got it under control. Go on then"

We stepped into the room and immediately, two Tyranitars fell from the ceiling along with a five Sandslash, three Ninjasks and six Nincadas. As a sandstorm began forming, I threw the Slumber Orb into the group of enemy Pokemon, releasing a cloud of sleeping gas. Everyone fell asleep instantly, allowing us to quietly walk by and snag the loot for ourselves. We ended up with two TMs, a Gold Gummi and a White Gummi. Before we could get out however, one of the Tyranitar woke up and roared, awakening everyone else too. Luckily, Priscilla was prepared to tossed a Petrify Orb into the crowd to immobilize them in place. We made it out of the Monster House without a single injury.

"Let's take a look at these TMs" I said after we escaped the Monster House. Both the TMs were grey like regular discs. One of them read "Wide Slash" and the other "Vacuum Cut".

"I never seen these moves before" Priscilla turned to Zelot "Do you or Sara know what they are?"

"As far as I know, these are "colourless" moves" Zelot explained "Which means they aren't affected by type resistances, weaknesses or immunities"

"Oh, so you can hit anything with these moves without worrying about resistances and immunity?" Priscilla asked.

"More or less. The only disadvantage is that they can't hit anything super effectively. Use only if you have nothing else that works" Zelot said.

"Then in that case, I want you to have both of these moves" I handed the TMs to Priscilla "Me, Zelot and Sara already have solid moves. You on the other hand, only have Tackle, Quick Attack, Bite and Sand Attack. You need some more variety"

"True. Guess I can give up Tackle and Sand Attack for these" Priscilla broke open both TM cases and learned the colourless moves, replacing Tackle and Sand Attack.

"Maybe try Wide Slash out on that group of Nincada over there" I pointed to a trio of Nincada coming out way on eighth floor. Priscilla stepped in front of me and summoned a blade of white energy in her hand. She swiped it sideways, tearing a gash in all three Nincada. While they were stunned, Priscilla unleashed a volley of wind blades in all directions with Vacuum Cut, slicing the Nincadas in half.

"Interesting. So Wide Slash can hit multiple targets and Vacuum Cut hits everyone around you" I noted "That could be useful in the future"

"Still doesn't fix my one on one combat though" Priscilla sighed "I do my best supporting from the backlines though, so I'll let you guys handle the 1v1 encounters"

"Of course" I nodded "That's just how we work together"

Eventually we reached a rest point with a Kangaskhan Rock. Why a Kangaskhan Rock was constructed here, I'll never know. Perhaps an old civilization that has sunken beneath the sand. We sorted our inventories, ate and moved into the Quicksand Pit.

"Well, this doesn't seem very different aside from a change in wall colour" Priscilla ran her hand over the rough sandstone wall. Back in Quicksand Cave, it was brownish yellow like the sand. Now it was green like a cactus.

"True. The enemy Pokemon here are no different than in Quicksand Cave" Sara noted as she glanced around for enemies "Just the same Sandslash, Nincada, Tyranitar and Hippopotas"

"Which means we proceed as usual" I shrugged "That's good at least"

"That doesn't mean we can relax our guard" Zelot pointed out "Despite it being the same as Quicksand Cave, it's not _easier_ by any means"

"Of course Zelot. I was simply pointing out that we don't need to raise our guard for any sort of surprises" I explained "We'll still be careful"

"Heh, it's funny" Priscilla smiled "You and Sara watch over us like a mother and father would. Mostly Zelot though"

"Aww, that's sweet of you to say" Sara grinned "Well, I suppose it's because you two are young and inexperienced. We can't help but take care of you"

"Think of us like your mentors instead of parents" Zelot muffled a laugh "After all, we aren't married yet"

"Day after day, you're feeling less like my mentors and more like the parents I never had much time with" Priscilla reminicied, then coughed "Sorry. Got a little emotional there"

"You can explain when we're back in Treasure Town" Sara promised "After all, an underground desert isn't the best place to share a story"

We continued on, dealing with the occasional Monster House until we reached the end of the dungeon. We found ourselves in an underground lake, with a glowing green light in the center.

"Amazing… I didn't expect to find something like this here" Priscilla marvelled as she gazed around the lake "Wait… that light in the middle… it's coming from…"

"... a Time Gear" I finished, dipping my feet into the water "That means Grovyle is liable to strike here. We need to go back and report to Chatot, so he can organize a guard to defend the Time Gear"

"Let's take a closer look first just to confirm it's a Time Gear" Zelot advised and we waded into the water to take a look. Suddenly, the entire lake darkened around us.

"Huh? It suddenly went dark!" Priscilla yelped in surprise.

"It was already dark!" I said, touching the tip of my torch. As I thought, it was singed "Someone magically doused our torches"

"Who are you?!" a new voice suddenly shouted from nowhere "Why… why did you come here?!"

"Why? We're here to defend the Time Gear!" Priscilla shouted back.

"Lies! You stay away from the Time Gear!" the voice angrily yelled back "If you won't leave quickly… I'll force you to!"

Our torches magically blazed again to reveal a Pokemon similar to Uxie that has leaped out of the water like a whale. It's body was the same as Uxie, with twin tails but it's head was pink with several drapes. Unlike Uxie, this Pokemon's eyes were open, blazing with determination.

"I am Mesprit, the guardian of the Time Gear!" the Pokemon introduced herself "I won't allow you to disturb the Time Gear. Get ready!"

"She's coming at us fast. Get ready to fight everyone!" I shouted and the battle begun.

Despite Mesprit being the lake guardian, she was actually a joke to battle. Mostly because all of us had super effective moves against her. Me and Priscilla had Bite, Zelot had Night Slash and Sara had Shadow Ball. We ganged up on Mesprit and took her down with little effort. I had to consume an Oran Berry after the fight because Mesprit landed a Confusion on me, but other than that, the battle was easy.

"Urgh… urgh…" Mesprit groaned "But I can't… let you take… the Time Gear…"

"Please listen to us, just once" Priscilla pleaded "We're not here to take the Time Gear. We came here to scout it, so we can have Pokemon protect it"

"Don't lie to me!" Mesprit growled "Uxie used his telepathy to tell me what happened. I know that the Time Gear from Fogbound Lake was stolen"

"What? You heard it from Uxie?" Priscilla asked in alarm.

"It was your doing, wasn't it?!" Mesprit demanded.

"No! We did no such thing!"

"Then who's responsible?!"

"That would be me" a new voice echoed through through the lake behind me. All of us turned in surprise.

"Who are you?!" Mesprit demanded.

"Call me Grovyle" the Pokemon said simply "I must apologize… but I will be taking that Time Gear"

As quick as light, Grovyle struck all of us down with Leaf Blade before we can even react. I glanced over from the ground and saw that even Zelot and Sara were down for the count.

"Stand aside" Grovyle said to Mesprit, his voice as sharp as steel.

"I… I won't!" Mesprit countered defiantly "I won't let you take the Time Gear!"

"Then you leave me no choice" Grovyle sighed and easily cut Mesprit down with a swing of his arm.

"Gah!" Mesprit hit the ground hard, with a large bleeding cut on her side. If Grovyle swung any harder, one of Mesprit's tails would be cut off.

"You lost that fight and sustained serious damage" Grovyle shrugged "So don't push it"

"You won't get past us!" I shouted and using all my strength, I dashed in front of Grovyle alongside Priscilla.

"Move aside kids" Grovyle closed his eyes and slashed us to the ground effortlessly "I have no quarrel with any of you, but duty dictates that I must do this"

Grovyle dove into the lake and began swimming towards the Time Gear, while all of us were helpless to stop it.

"N-no… the Time Gear…" Priscilla moaned as she reached her paw out weakly. I brought my hand up to my chest, where a long, bloody gash marked where Grovyle attacked me. I couldn't even lift myself up to help Priscilla. When I tried, my vision went spotty and I nearly blacked out. All I could do is lay on the ground like a useless sack of rocks and let Grovyle take the Time Gear while all my friends bled out.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" Mesprit apologized weakly "Uxie must of not have been talking about you. It was that Pokemon… Grovyle… who's… who's taking the gears…"

"Mesprit, stay alive!" I tried all I could to dig an Oran Berry from my treasure bag, but every movement I took, my chest flared in pain and I could only unbutton the bag without screaming. However, that was the least of my priorities because when Grovyle took the Time Gear from under the lake, the entire cave began shaking.

"Oh no… this is bad…" Mesprit croaked "We have to get… out of here…"

"But how…?" I asked "All of us are too wounded to even move!"

"We have to…!" Mesprit grit her teeth "Otherwise, the disruption will reach us and we'll be trapped in time!"

Mesprit was right. As we were talking, a shockwave of green electricity spread over the underground lake, turning everything it touched grey. Anything that was grey meant that time has stopped for it. Soon, the entire area would be stopped in time.

"We have to escape, no matter what!" ignoring pain, Priscilla dug out two Escape Orbs and tossed one of the them to Zelot and Sara "Mesprit, get close!"

Mesprit crawled towards me and Priscilla and the Eevee smashed the orb on the ground, enveloping us in a blue pillar of light. The pillar transported us out of the dungeon just as the time stopping shockwave was about to hit us. I saw a similar blue pillar of light before we vanished. We made it out of Quicksand Cave safely, but not before the Time Gear was stolen.

Gods I felt miserable.

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 30_

 _Moves: Force Palm, Bite, Quick Attack and Focus Punch_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 26_

 _Moves: Quick Attack, Bite, Wide Slash and Vacuum Cut_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Zelot, Gallade_

 _Level 29_

 _Moves: Brick Break, Psycho Cut, Leaf Blade and Night Slash_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Sara, Mismagius_

 _Level 30_

 _Moves: Shadow Ball, Magical Leaf, Psywave and Confuse Ray_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **And that was Quicksand Cave/Pit, along with the Mesprit battle. Just like with Northern Desert, the most annoying part of Quicksand Cave/Pit is the Sandslash and their Sand Veil. Especially since the Tyranitar and Hippopotas can summon sandstorm at will thanks to their abilities. Next up is the Crystal Cave exploration. Follow and favorite if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!**


	16. Chapter 15: Crystalline Labyrinth

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 15: Crystalline Labyrinth

"ZZZT! Thank you for helping us in our criminal investigation! ZZZT!" Magnezone said in his usual robotic voice. We made it back to the guild in one piece with Mesprit in tow. She was currently at the police station, getting a check up as well as being questioned for any information about Grovyle.

"ZZT! We have Mesprit under our protection" Magnezone continued "Her safety is assured. ZZZT!"

"What about Grovyle? I'm sure he escaped the time freeze that ensued over Quicksand Cave" Priscilla said.

"ZZZT! We're dedicating all resources to the pursuit of Grovyle! ZZZT!" Magnezone answered "ZZT! If you come across any sort of information, let us know! ZZZT!"

"ZZZT! We must all cooperate together to bring this criminal to justice! ZZT!" Magnezone finished "Now if you excuse us, we must be off! ZZT!"

And Magnezone left the guild, followed by his two Magnemite officers. After they left, Chatot turned to us.

"My, my! I'm absolutely shocked!" Chatot exclaimed "So there was a lake under Northern Desert? And that wasn't all? A Time Gear was down there too?"

"Yes, but about that Time Gear…" Priscilla slumped in defeat "Grovyle stole it. Even with five of us, we couldn't even slow him down. He's too powerful"

"It's the same as doing nothing as all" I sighed "We couldn't stop Grovyle and risked our lives in the process. I'm so sorry everyone…"

"Cheer up, by golly!" Bidoof encouraged "You did great work"

"Hey, hey! I think so too!" Corphish piped up "Team Skylar can really be proud!"

"But… why?" Priscilla asked "We failed to stop Grovyle from getting the Time Gear. All we did was discover the lake, but now it's frozen in time"

"Yes, it's a shame about the whole thing" Corphish agreed "There's no clue telling us what we should do next, right?"

"If we only had one hint, we could continue on" Zelot brought his arm to his forehead "Sadly though, we're at a loss now"

"I must agree" Dugtrio nodded "Where will Grovyle strike next? There's no way of knowing"

"It's too bad that the opportunity to catch him slipped away" Sunflora said "We're back to square one!"

"Maybe not" Dusknoir said and everyone turned to him "There are some clues"

"Really now? Please do tell!" Chatot exclaimed.

"One Time Gear was at Fogbound Lake, guarded by Uxie correct?" Dusknoir got closer to us "Another Time Gear was at the Underground Lake, guarded by Mesprit"

"So you're implying…"

"I propose that there's a third lake somewhere, with the guardian being the last of the Lake Trio, Azelf" Dusknoir finished, then saw confused looks on all of our faces "Oh, you don't know the legend. Allow me to explain"

Dusknoir cleared his throat and continued "According to legend, Uxie is the Being of Knowledge and Mesprit is the Being of Emotion. However, three Pokemon in total represent the spiritual world and is said to keep the world in balance"

"So Uxie and Mesprit are part of that trio? Who's the third one then?" Priscilla asked.

"The last of the trio is Azelf, known as the Being of Willpower" Dusknoir answered "Both Uxie and Mesprit guarded Time Gears. Therefore, Azelf may likewise be protecting a Time Gear, likely in a lake"

"Oh I see!" Chimecho perked up "So if we find Azelf, we'll likely find a Time Gear nearby too! And that means Grovyle is bound to strike there!"

Dusknoir nodded "Correct. Let's keep in mind both lake's locations. Uxie's was located on a high plateau while Mesprit's was far beneath the desert. So the lake that Azelf resides in must be somewhere where we wouldn't expect it"

"I get it NOW!" Loudred exclaimed "You're saying we shouldn't look for water in the usual places!"

"My, my, my!" Chatot grinned, visibly impressed "I commend you on your wisdom Dusknoir, sir! I feel renewed admiration for you!"

"Thank you… it's really nothing…" Dusknoir replied modestly.

"No, no! We too revere you!" Dugtrio piped up "First it was you that directed us to the Northern Desert. It turns out there WAS a Time Gear under there, so your insight was completely correct!"

"Ooh, maybe the other places we searched, the Eastern Forest and Crystal Cave…" Sunflora realized "Those places could still hold secrets for us!"

"Ah, I have an idea" Dusknoir turned to Bidoof "Bidoof?"

"Yup, yup. You want me?" Bidoof asked "What can I do for you?"

"I have a request" Dusknoir said "The crystal you picked up yesterday… may I borrow it briefly?"

"My crystal?!" Bidoof shook his head vigorously "N-no! No sirree! That's my precious treasure, by golly!"

"Relax Bidoof. He's only going to borrow it" I chided "I'm sure Dusknoir will return it back after"

"Yes, it's just as Silvin said. I won't take it away or do any of the sort. I just need to see it" Dusknoir promised "Now Silvin…"

"Hm?"

"There is something I'd like you to do Silvin" Dusknoir requested "Please touch Bidoof's crystal"

"Ooh, you want me to try and trigger the Dimension Scream to see something from Crystal Cave. I got it" I nodded, then walked over to Bidoof.

"Dimensional Scream?" Loudred wondered aloud "What's that?"

"It's a special ability Silvin has" Priscilla explained while I silently urged Bidoof to give me the crystal "Sometimes when Silvin is touching something, he experiences a vision of the past or future that involves what he touched!"

"Oh my gosh! Really?!" Sunflora hopped in excitement.

"Hey, hey, hey! There's really an ability like that?"

"I dearly wish to borrow the crystal for Silvin's ability" Dusknoir said "Please, may we do so Bidoof?"

Everyone looked at Bidoof expectantly. The brown rodent looked like he was going to die of stage fright.

"Oof… Ok, can't refuse a reason like that" Bidoof sighed and handed me the crystal, which was a jagged shard of purple sparkling with several spots of white. The moment my hand touched the crystal, the nausea returned.

"Haven't had this in awhile…" I thought as the nausea persisted until my vision went black. In my vision, I saw a twin tailed blue-headed Pokemon on the smooth ground, covered in his own blood. Grovyle stood over him, with a neutral expression and bloody right arm.

"Urgh… ugh…" the blue headed Pokemon moaned.

"Now I'll take it!" Grovyle said sharply "The Time Gear!"

Grovyle stepped over Azelf's wounded body and made his way to the Time Gear nearby.

"No… you can't take it…" Azelf groaned and tried to move, but he yelped loudly when moved only a centimetre "Never… I won't allow you…"

Then the vision turned off.

I blinked as my vision returned, taking me back to the guild with everyone looking at me excitingly. Bidoof's crystal was still in my palm.

"Well? Did you see anything?" Priscilla asked.

I described what I saw in my vision. Grovyle defeating a blue-headed Pokemon in an area full of crystals and taking the Time Gear.

"WHAT?!" Loudred cried.

"You saw Grovyle knock out a Pokemon?!" Chatot repeated panically "And take a Time Gear?!"

"Oh my gosh! Your ability is thrilling!" Sunflora said, amazed "But wait… if you saw Grovyle defeat a Pokemon and take the Time Gear…"

"Then we're too late" Dugtrio finished "Grovyle has already taken the Time Gear. We need to find the last Time Gear before Grovyle gets to it"

"Wait! Everyone!" Priscilla shouted before everyone dissolved into mass panic "The vision Silvin saw may have not happened yet!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Chimecho asked.

"You see, Silvin's Dimensional Scream can see visions of the past AND the future" Priscilla explained "Which means that the vision Silvin saw now could just be the potential future!"

"But Silvin, do you know if the vision showed the past or future?" Sara asked.

I shook my head disappointingly.

"Damn, we can't go off of that then" Zelot sighed "However, there's one more aspect we must consider. Mesprit mentioned that she heard from Uxie using telepathy, right?"

"Yeah she did" I nodded "So that means…"

"If the blue-headed Pokemon you saw was Azelf… and Azelf is part of this spiritual trio…" Priscilla said thoughtfully "That means Uxie and Mesprit can hear from him using telepathy too, right?"

"That's what I should be" Dusknoir nodded "Another thing I'd like to point out is that Silvin saw a vision in a crystal-like area"

Dusknoir gestured to the purple shard in my hand "Since Silvin saw this in Bidoof's crystal that came from Crystal Cave, we can deduce that the area Silvin saw was Crystal Cave"

"And Grovyle said he was "going to take the Time Gear"" I continued "Which means the Time Gear can be in Crystal Cave!"

"That means we still have a chance!" Sunflora cheered.

"Of course, we may already be too late" Dusknoir said grimly "Or we may have time. I'm going to speak to Mesprit and Uxie down at the police station to see if they heard from Azelf. The rest of you should investigate Crystal Cave to find the Time Gear"

"Well said Dusknoir, sir!" Chatot nodded excitingly "Onward to Crystal Cave everyone!"

Chatot turned to Wigglytuff "Guildmaster, issue the call to duty!"

The guild fell silent as we turned to Wigglytuff. All I heard was… snoring.

"Guildmaster? Guildmaster, are you with us?" Chatot poked Wigglytuff with his beak, but Wigglytuff didn't flinch.

"...Zzzz…" Wigglytuff snored.

"Eek! He's sleeping with his eyes wide open!" Sunflora yelped.

"Disgusting!" Loudred cried.

"The Guildmaster is so very charming…" Chimecho sighed.

"When do you all suppose he took to snoozing?" Bidoof asked.

"You think maybe he's been asleep from the get-go?" Loudred wondered aloud.

"Erk! This isn't good…" Chatot murmured to himself uneasily "Everyone might notice that the Guildmaster is asleep. I might rouse him somehow…"

"Guildmaster!" Chatot cried to Wigglytuff's face "Guildmaster!"

"...Huh…?" Wigglytuff asked sleepingly.

"GUILDMASTER!" Chatot shouted.

"Chatot!" Wigglytuff replied cheerfully.

"YES GUILDMASTER?!" Chatot yelled, then coughed, lowering his voice "Ahem, I mean… yes Guildmaster? To take it from the top… there was…"

"Everyone! We're going after Grovyle!" Wigglytuff shouted "YOOM… TAH!"

Chatot backed away in shock while all of us yelled "HOORAY!"

Man, I loved this place.

After poking Chatot out of his stunned silence, we made our way to Treasure Town to stock up on supplies. We refilled our treasure bags with the usual equipment: apples, Oran Berries, Max Elixirs, utility seeds, utility orbs and accessories. We were lucky enough to find two treasure boxes containing a Riolu Card and Riolu Tail on a mission one time, so we swapped them with Croagunk to get a Valiant Rock, which was a mystical beige stone with a strange pattern on the top, similar to Priscilla's Relic Fragment. Just by holding it, I felt stronger defensively.

"It's strange. When I'm in the presence of the Valiant Rock, I feel like I can stop a Tauros charging with my bare hands" I said as I continuously dropped and picked up the rock to test its powers "Yet when I place the rock further away, I feel like normal"

"I guess that's the power of these exclusive items" Priscilla shrugged "And judging from your description, the Valiant Rock boosts your defense while in its presence. I feel no different from before"

"Hmm… it's probably be a good idea to leave it in my treasure bag" I said "That way, I can't lose it and always enjoy it's defensive benefits"

"Good idea" Priscilla smiled "Now then… we should go deposit our money to Duskull Bank and grab Zach and Niko. Then we'll be ready"

"Alright then. Let's go" I nodded.

We deposited our current money into Duskull Bank, then headed over to our camp in Shapedo Bluff.

"Good afternoon Silvin and Priscilla!" Niko greeted politely "How are you two?"

"Well, we've recovered since coming back from Quicksand Cave and Pit" I rubbed the back of my head "It can't get any better than that"

"Yes, Zelot and Sara told me the whole story" Niko nodded "Another Time Gear stolen… truly the world is unraveling by the seams"

"It's not good to think negatively like that Niko" Zach chided "After all, there's still two Time Gears left, which is two more chances for the guild to find them and protect them. Besides, we already know where to look, right?"

"Yep and that's why we came to the camp" Priscilla said, then looked at Zach and Niko "Zach and Niko, I'd like you two to come with us to Crystal Cave"

"Huh? Us?" Niko perked up "Wouldn't Zelot, Sara and Henry be better due to their experience?"

"Personally, I WOULD take either of them, but Zelot and Sara earned their rest after Quicksand Cave" I explained "Crystal Cave sounds like a dungeon full of Rock type Pokemon, so Henry will have issues there"

"We'll accompany you then" Zach stretched "Won't we Niko?"

"If there's no other option, then sure" Niko nodded "When are we leaving?"

"Right now" I smiled "Follow us to the crossroads"

We left Treasure Town and headed northeast to Crystal Cave. After a couple hours of walking with the sunset behind our backs, we ended up at the entrance of a cavern with sparkling blue crystals inside.

"So this is Crystal Cave" Priscilla peered inside curiously "Somewhere inside this cave, there should be a passageway to Azelf's lake"

Priscilla's voice echoed through the empty cavern, alerting any enemy Pokemon to our location.

"Great job Priscilla. Now everyone knows we're here" I grumbled, then pulled a stick and stone to light a torch "No use complaining now. Let's go everyone"

Crystal Cave, true to its name, was full of crystals of many colours. I could see why Bidoof just HAD to pick up a crystal before he left. I was tempted to pick one up for myself as well, but my bag was full enough already. It weighed an extra five pounds thanks to the Valiant Rock.

"I hope you save my life sometime" I murmured as I shouldered the bag over my body for the fourth time due to slipping "Because if you don't, you're getting sold for the trouble you're giving me"

"You know, the crystals here can make for effective throwing weapons" Of course, Priscilla wasn't the normal girl stereotype that would keep the crystals for herself. Her first thought was for combat. Good girl.

"Hm? How so?" I asked.

"Just look at them" Zach said "These crystals are long, sharp and heavy. I'd wager they can pierce a Seviper's head if you threw hard enough"

"Oh, speak of the devil" Priscilla took aim at the Seviper slithering up to us and threw the crystal like a javelin. The crystal's sharp point tore through Seviper's head spot on and embedded itself onto a wall as the snake Pokemon collapsed on the ground with a split head.

"Change of plans everyone. Gather as many crystals as you can. Sharp ones if you can find them" I ordered "May as well save PP on our moves if we can kill everyone using the environment"

Turns out, the strategy wasn't quite as effective as I thought. The Beldum, Graveler and Golem were near-impervious to the crystal throw, which forced me to deal with them. The Graveler took some damage from it, but not as much as the Seviper, Wormadam and Riolu did. Yes, Riolu was part of the enemy Pokemon. I felt somewhat guilty for killing them, but I could sever their tails and pawn them off as exclusive items at least.

"You know, I would feel some remorse for killing my own kind" Niko swallowed as I cut an enemy Riolu's tail off using a crystal shard "But you Silvin… you're merciless"

"May I remind you that I used to be a human?" I asked as I wiped the blood off of my shard using another crystal "I guess old habits die old"

"Ugh, I just pray that I wouldn't need to do this myself" Priscilla groaned "It's hard enough watching you kill and tear apart your own species"

"Okay, think about it like this" I said as I put my used crystal shard back into my bag to use as a weapon later "It's either we kill them or they kill us. There isn't time for hesitation or mercy in combat"

"Still, I'm a little afraid what you might do to us if you thought we were worth something" Zach bit his lip and I curled my mouth, preparing a response.

"Rest assured I wouldn't lay a finger on any of you, at least with a weapon" I promised "The things I'm doing now while never apply to my teammates"

"I'm supposed to be reassured by that, but I get the feeling that I'm not" Niko said and I sighed "But it's probably just my stomach rolling. Lead the way Silvin"

We continued on, taking down any Pokemon that stood in our path and collecting any items we could, be it on the ground or from Pokemon. At one point, Niko and Priscilla hurled after Zach launched a crystal into a Wormadam's eye.

"Ugh… let's uhh… cover this up" I muttered as I used the remains of Wormadam's cloak to cover it's mangled face. I had a feeling that Priscilla and Niko weren't used to blood and gore, especially since this was the first time we used sharp weapons instead of moves to attack. As for me, it was hard to not throw up, but I tried to keep my mind steady. Zach looked perfectly normal, probably because he was used to hunting back in Amp Plains.

"Compared to all of us, you seem completely fine around all this gore" I told Zach "Care to tell me why?"

"Shinx live in packs back in Amp Plains. We're like a pack of wolves, per se" Zach explained as he scratched the ground with his claws "So we're used to getting up close and personal with our prey to kill them. It's commonplace to sink your teeth into the enemy and rip their heart out using your claws"

"Sounds gruesome" I swallowed "But it's the only way to get food, I suppose"

"The Mareep tribe was the complete opposite" Zach continued "Since they lack strong teeth or claws, they used their moves to take down their prey from afar. That was a rare occasion though, since Mareep don't eat meat often"

"They were herbivores?"

"They ARE herbivores" Niko corrected, walking beside Zach "We don't eat meat Zach. You're misremembering things"

"But if you DID eat meat, that's how you would kill them, right?" the Shinx asked.

Niko shook his head "Probably, but we don't have any means of softening the meat for consumption, unlike certain Bug type Pokemon"

"Interesting" I nodded, then looked ahead "Oh, I see a clearing there"

We made it to the clearing, where three tall crystals stood in a triangle formation. One of the crystals was green, the other orange and the third red.

"Is this the end of the dungeon?" Priscilla asked aloud as she examined the surrounding area, gazing at the three crystals in particular "These three crystals… they are all different from the crystals around here"

"It could be the secret to Azelf's lake" I said as I approached the red crystal "Remember how the Groudon statue and the quicksand pit were the secrets to Uxie and Mesprit's lakes?"

"Oh! So you're saying…" Priscilla nodded "That these three crystals hold the secret to Azelf's lake?"

"Yes, but I wonder how we can trigger it…" I touched the red crystal with my hand and it turned completely blue instantly "Whoa"

"These crystals might hold the secret to Azelf's lake…" Priscilla wondered aloud "But what do we do to figure it out…"

Before I could reply, a familiar nausea invaded my head.

"The Dimensional Scream… it's starting…" I thought before my vision went black. In my head, I heard someone speak.

"I see. Of the three spiritual elements of knowledge, emotion and willpower… Azelf is the being of Willpower" the voice said "Willpower is the motivation that drives us. It's a unifying power. To unify is to make one. So if the colours of the crystals were to be made one, the path shall reveal itself. The question is… what is the colour of Azelf's spirit?"

Then the vision turned off and I returned to reality.

"Silvin? Silvin…?" Zach tapped me on the shoulder "What happened? You spaced out for a while"

"Sorry. I just triggered the Dimensional Scream by touching the crystal" I explained.

"Oh really? What did you see?" Priscilla asked, curious.

"I heard a voice. It said that the "path will reveal itself, should all the crystals here align with the colour of Azelf's spirit"" I said "So that means we have to find out what colour Azelf's spirit is and make all the crystals here the same colour"

"Let's see… Azelf lives in Crystal Cave, so his spirit should be influenced by the crystals here" Priscilla said thoughtfully "Most of the crystals here are blue, so that means…"

"Azelf's spirit must be blue!" Niko proclaimed "Go on, let's try blue first"

I touched all the crystals, cycling through colours to make them blue. When the last crystal turned blue, the cavern shook and electricity gathered on the tops of the crystals.

"Back off everyone! It's dangerous!" I shouted and everyone stood back, watching as the electricity from the crystals clashed together in the middle, creating a powerful ball of electricity. The earth shook and a giant crystal pushed out of the ground, the front collapsing into itself to reveal a pathway in.

"This must be the path towards Azelf's lake!" Priscilla exclaimed "Which means this is the way to the Time Gear!"

"There's no time to waste. Let's find the Time Gear!" I called and we charged into the new mystery dungeon.

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 31_

 _Moves: Force Palm, Focus Punch, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 29_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Zach, Shinx_

 _Level 25_

 _Moves: Spark, Charge, Bite and Tackle_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Niko, Mareep_

 _Level 23_

 _Moves: Thundershock, Cotton Spore, Take Down and Thunder Wave_

 _IQ Level: **_

 **And Crystal Cave is done! I thought that the crystals would make for good throwing weapons, so I threw them in to make the chapter more interesting. Silvin cutting off enemy Riolu tails show how exclusive items actually work, seeing as you never get an explanation to how they are created. Next up is Crystal Crossing, as well as the Grovyle boss battle. Follow and favorite if you want to be notified when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	17. Chapter 16: Azelf's Gambit

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 16: Azelf's Gambit

Crystal Crossing was largely unlike Crystal Cave. It featured none of the Pokemon we last saw and instead had a large assortment of different types. Bagon, Floatzel, Glameow, Absol and Glalie all roamed the floors, providing us with a challenge unlike before. Luckily, all the enemy Pokemon except Glalie and Froslass were easily torn apart by our crystal projectiles.

"It's amazing how effective these things are" Zach remarked as he threw a shard at a Glameow's stomach. The crystal easily cut through Glameow's skin and impaled it all the way through, leaving it easy prey for a follow up Quick Attack.

"I agree. We should take a bunch home for later use" Priscilla suggested "It would make for good back up weapons when our PP is exhausted"

"Good point. Let's pick up extra shards whenever we find them" I nodded as we continued forward until I heard a click under my foot.

"Huh?" I lifted my foot and found a gray tile with a chestnut picture was disguised as the floor. Before I could react, several chestnuts rained from above, showering me with hard bits of nuts.

"What in the world…?" I placed my foot on the trap again and the same shower of chestnuts came down, but I dodged it in time "Priscilla, do you know what these are?"

"Oh, those are traps Silvin" Priscilla began "They suddenly started appearing in mystery dungeons now. Traps are disguised as the dungeon's floor and can have all sorts of effects, ranging from chestnuts dropping on your head to losing all your PP on a move!"

"That sounds… dangerous" I replied uneasily, then shrugged "Can't be too bad though"

"Well, they are what they are: traps. They weren't made to kill you" Priscilla explained "More like to harry you and make the dungeon harder"

"Great, as if we needed more challenge in locating the Time Gear" Zach grumbled "We have to worry about finding the Time Gear before Grovyle does, hunger, Monster Houses and now traps"

"To be fair, the Monster House on the last floor wasn't too tough" Niko smiled gently "Priscilla had her Vacuum Cut and I just learned Discharge"

Niko's new Discharge was amazing frankly. It hit all the enemy Pokemon in the room, similar to Priscilla's Vacuum Cut, but it was stronger and had elemental properties, meaning it could do serious damage to opposing Water and Flying type Pokemon. Of course, it could be rendered useless by Ground types or Lightning Rod, but that can't undermine its power.

"I'd encourage you to keep Discharge above all else" I said as we continued ahead "It's an extremely useful move that will remain vital probably until we retire as explorers"

"I can see that" Niko nodded "I'll try not to forget it"

We continued through the seventh, eighth and ninth floor, recruiting a female Absol named Ezra along the way, which we had to send home with our explorer badge since we had a full party already. When we were about to reach the end of the thirteenth floor, I heard the gurgling of water.

"I hear water nearby. We must be near the lake" I observed "Come on everyone, we're almost there"

We entered the cavern and found ourselves on a lakeside pathway covered in blue crystals. Many more crystal formations emerged from the lake surface like tall rocks on a beach. In the center was a familiar green light.

"Hey Silvin, do you think the green light in the middle is…"

"The Time Gear. Let's take a closer look down the path"

We dashed down the pathway towards the center, where the light from the Time Gear was stronger. Priscilla made it first and gasped in shock. I followed her gaze and gasped too. Standing in front of a wounded Azelf was Grovyle himself.

"Ugh… urgh…" Azelf moaned in pain.

"Now I'll take it! The Time Gear!" Grovyle said sharply as he stepped over Azelf's injured body to rob the gear.

"No… you can't take it…" Azelf croaked "I will… never…"

"We can't waste any time! We need to help!" I snapped and all of us ran as fast as we could towards Azelf and Grovyle.

"Now sunk down here… is the Time Gear, isn't it?" Grovyle turned to Azelf, who was shaking on the floor and drenched in his own blood "Azelf, was it? My apologies, but I must take that Time Gear"

"Ugh… hold it… Grovyle…" Azelf groaned and Grovyle's eyes briefly widened with surprise.

"... You know my name?"

"Grovyle the thief… I heard from Uxie and Mesprit you were coming" Azelf informed "It would of been better if I killed you directly, but I also considered the possibility of me losing"

"What are you getting at?"

"I set up a fail-safe system"

"You what?!"

Before Grovyle could react, Azelf stiffened and his eyes glowed yellow. The entire cavern shook around us violently.

"What did you do?!" Grovyle shouted in alarm.

As the tremors grew stronger, large crystals sprang to life around the platform Grovyle and Azelf were on, forcibly blocking Grovyle from reaching the Time Gear.

"The lake's covered by crystals..." Grovyle slammed into one of the crystal barriers with Leaf Blade, but it hardly made a dent "Azelf! You little…"

"Grovyle… the Time Gear… you'll never get it now…!" Azelf said weakly "Even in exchange for my life… you'll never…"

"Y-you!" Grovyle punched the ground with newfound fury "I mean to have it and I will get it! I need the Time Gear! Even if it means killing you Azelf!"

"Stop!" Priscilla shouted as we dashed onto the scene, startling Azelf and Grovyle "You'll never get the Time Gear!"

"You two children again? What makes you think you can stop me?" Grovyle glared at us, getting into a battle stance "I have no quarrel with any of you, so stand out of my way!"

"No, we will not move" the Eevee replied firmly.

"I see how it is" Grovyle steadied himself "Then if you won't move… I'll end your life first! Just try to stop me!"

"Here he comes everyone! Move Azelf out of the way and disrupt his movement in any way!" I commanded, but not before Grovyle slashed me down hard with Leaf Blade. As Zach and Niko worked to get Azelf's unconscious body away from the fight, Priscilla was digging through her bag, searching for a seed to use.

"Priscilla! Watch out!" I shouted as Grovyle blurred in front of her in a blink of an eye with Quick Attack, poised to strike. Before he made contact though, Priscilla threw an X-Eye Seed at Grovyle's face, blinding him.

"Gah! Damn it! I can't see!" Grovyle stumbled around, attacking wildly. Priscilla silently tossed me a Violent Seed.

"Wait until you see an opening in his guard, then Focus Punch" Priscilla instructed "We need this power to take down Grovyle"

"I hear you" I nodded and ate the seed, boosting my physical and special attacking prowess to maximum levels. I approached Grovyle silently and charged my Focus Punch. He nearly clipped me with a Absorb, but I stepped back and saw an opening at his chest. I dashed forward and slammed my charged fist into Grovyle's chest, likely shattering his rib cage in the process. Grovyle roared in pain and skittered away, crashing into a crystal in the process. The thief glared at me, his blindness gone, with primal anger.

"I'll take you down first, boy!" Grovyle suddenly appeared in front of me, punching me in the face with the force of a Machamp. I felt my entire skull breaking as I was sent flying all the way back to the pathway. How in the world did he hit that hard? Groggily, I noticed an orange light discharging from Grovyle's fist. He somehow copied Focus Punch and attacked back? Or did he use a counter move like…

"Pursuit… he used Pursuit…" I realized as blood trailed down the side of my face "You take the attack and retaliate with the same amount of force… h-he Focus Punched me… back"

"Silvin! Stay with us!" Niko called and released a pulse of electricity from his body towards Grovyle, paralyzing him in place, allowing Priscilla to run towards me with a Reviver Seed and Oran Berry.

"Silvin, are you okay?" Priscilla asked as she fed me a Reviver Seed and Oran Berry, repairing my broken skull "I had no idea he could do that…"

I didn't answer and instead focused on Zach and Niko distracting Grovyle behind Priscilla. Niko used Cotton Spore to bind Grovyle's legs and restrict his movement even furthur while Zach took advantage of Grovyle's paralysis to deliver strong Sparks boosted by Charge, even if they were ineffective.

"Look at those two… they are holding Grovyle back for us…" I mumbled "No, not for us. They are holding Grovyle back for the world. They are saving the world right now"

"Reminder that we should treat them to a drink at Spinda's Cafe after we've arrested Grovyle" Priscilla smiled as she helped me up and onto my feet "How many Yellow Gummies do we have?"

"More than two probably" I stumbled as I stood, but I could muster enough strength to strike Grovyle down with another Focus Punch. Because at the rate Zach and Niko were going, it was going to be two hours before Grovyle succumbs to Zach's Sparks and we didn't even have that many Max Elixirs.

"Let's just hope this is enough to take him out, once and for all" I stepped in front of the paralyzed Grovyle calmly, focused and charged my fist with the energies of Focus Punch "Grovyle, your crimes are unforgivable and I wouldn't be sorry if this kills you straightaway. Farewell"

I slammed my Focus Punch into Grovyle's face, nearly shattering his skull instantly. The force was so powerful that Grovyle burst out from his Cotton Spore binding and crashed into a large crystal, sliding to the ground in defeat. Leftover discharge covered his body, alongside bruises, cuts and a lot of blood.

"We did it… we finally defeated Grovyle…" Priscilla's expression turned to a big grin "We saved the world!

"Now let's check through his bag for the Time Gears" I urged "We need to have them returned to the proper places"

"You miserable fools… you don't know what you've done…" Grovyle growled, startling us. When I looked at him again, all his wounds were healed. Did he sneak a Sitrus Berry while we were talking?

"I said to get out of my way!" Grovyle slashed in a wide arc, cutting all of us down instantly. Pain flared in my arm when I collapsed. It felt like someone was cutting my arms off with a chainsaw. Near me, I saw Priscilla rise, a long bleeding cut down her belly. A look of discomfort and determination marked her face.

"Priscilla don't… don't try to…" I murmured and tried to rise, but the gashes on my arms sent a shockwave of pain through my body whenever I tried to move.

"This is all for the Time Gear. Forgive me!" Grovyle blazed forward instantly, arm raised to slice Priscilla in half with Leaf Blade.

"PRISCILLA, NO!" I screamed, but someone else dashed past me just as fast.

"Stop!" Dusknoir appeared in front of Priscilla, shielding her from Grovyle's Leaf Blade with his hands.

"Dusknoir! What are you…!" Grovyle backed up carefully.

"Dusknoir? How did you…" Priscilla was just as surprised.

"Grovyle! You've gone on long enough!" Dusknoir slammed Grovyle hard with Shadow Punch, sending him to the ground.

"Grrah!" Grovyle snarled and got up, a look of anger and fury in his eyes "To think you bothered to track me for this long!"

"It has been far too long" Dusknoir approached Grovyle slowly "It's been hard tracking you, but I've finally caught you"

"The things you'll do for your master… it's astounding" Grovyle's mouth twitched in annoyance "You chased me all the way here… even here! You're far too tenacious and too loyal to Dialga!"

"You're scrambling the young ones minds with your nonsense Grovyle" Dusknoir countered calmly "I work for no one but myself. All I'm doing is stopping you from destroying the world!"

"You cling to me beyond expectation" Grovyle steadied himself "To be honest… I'm surprised to see you in this world, as well as putting up a front to gain trust from others. Very smart"

"You're not getting away this time Grovyle" Dusknoir said firmly.

"Oh yeah? Try me!" Grovyle got into a battle stance despite his injuries "I'm ready for you!"

"So you'll fight? So be it" Dusknoir's fists glowed with dark energy "Very well. But can you win? Against ME?"

The two of them clashed, Leaf Blade against Shadow Punch, creating a violent flash across the entire cavern with their power. When the flash disappeared, Grovyle was gone.

"WHAT?! Where did Grovyle go?!" Priscilla looked around in all directions, but there was no sign of the thief. Dusknoir made a deep growl from his throat.

"He concealed a Luminous Orb in his hand before he attacked to use the flash to get away" Dusknoir explained, holding his wrist as to not punch the ground "A new escape trick, I'd wager"

"What are you going to do Dusknoir?" Priscilla asked.

"He never intended to fight me at all" Dusknoir clenched his fist in rage "There's no escaping me Grovyle!"

And Dusknoir vanished into darkness, leaving Priscilla alone with us and Azelf.

"Priscilla… are you…" I lost my voice when the Eevee fell, blood pouring from the wound Grovyle gave her. Everyone was bleeding out, but I couldn't rise to help them. It was the Quicksand Cave incident all over again.

"Eek! There! There they are!" I heard Sunflora's voice in the distance as the guild came onto the scene with a collective gasp.

"By golly! They're down!" Bidoof cried.

"Hey, hey! Are you alright?" Corphish asked.

"They are all badly hurt! We need to help them!' Dugtrio urged.

"Hurry! Take them all back to the guild for treatment!" Sunflora ordered "Go, go, go!"

I felt Bidoof shoulder me onto his back before blacking out.

…

I awoken in our guild bedroom with a long bandage across the cuts on my arms. The bandages have been wrapped over multiple times, suggesting a lot of blood soaking through.

"W-where…" I heard Priscilla's voice ask weakly beside me and turned to her with a smile of relief.

"We're home Priscilla. We're home" I answered, reaching out to hold her paw "We're alive still"

"But… how?" the Eevee frowned "How are we back home? I remember blacking out after I fell"

"The guild rescued us. They found us all bleeding out along with Azelf" I replied, stroking her paw gently.

"That's good…" Priscilla sighed, then snapped, wincing because of her injury "Is Zach, Niko and Azelf okay?!"

"I don't know. I've been sleeping just like you" I frowned "I just hope they are okay"

"Priscilla! Silvin! Are you two awake?" I heard Chimecho's voice from beyond our door.

"Yes! We're awake!" I called and Chimecho opened the door, sighing a breath of relief.

"Thank goodness. You two were unconscious for hours!" Chimecho said, exasperated "And you two were bleeding so much! Everyone was worried!

"Sorry about that. How's Zach, Niko and Azelf?" I asked.

"Zach and Niko are fine. They recovered faster than you did" Chimecho reported, then frowned "How could you be on death's door and just say "Sorry about that"?"

"Huh?"

"You had all of us worried sick! Can I at least have a "Thank you for saving my life"?!" Chimecho cried, irritated "Ah… sorry for that outburst. I've just been stressed after treating everyone"

"And you want recognition for it" I nodded and Chimecho nodded shamefully "Sorry. Thank you for treating us"

"You're welcome" Chimecho smiled "As for Azelf… it's hard to tell. Professional medics are watching over him since he received the most lethal injuries and has been bleeding out the longest. He's still unconscious at the moment"

Priscilla slapped her face with her paw "We should of given Azelf an Oran Berry when we had the chance! We just left him there to die while we fought Grovyle!"

"In whatever case, they hope Azelf can pull through" Chimecho rustled uneasily "But if Azelf DOES die… it's not your fault"

Priscilla bit her lip "I would say that it IS our fault because we didn't give him an Oran Berry in time, but you would just stubbornly say no"

"There's no point in faulting anyone after something has happened" Chimecho replied "The important part is to get up, move on and learn from the mistake"

"I'll keep that in mind" Priscilla nodded "By the way Chimecho… how bad are our injuries in particular? I notice a lot of overlapping bandages"

Chimecho frowned "They were bad. REAL bad. It looks like Grovyle cut you at point blank range"

"He did" I deadpanned.

"Then that confirms it" Chimecho nodded "His slash was so deep that it tore Priscilla's inner organs along with most of Silvin's muscle tissue. Thankfully, it hit nothing vital"

"Huh… no wonder I feel so dizzy right now" Priscilla's head collapsed back onto her bed "How long do we have to rest?"

"I estimate about two weeks or so" Chimecho answered "So I suggest you stay off exploring until then. Neither of you would want to reopen those wounds"

"Thanks Chimecho. Now do you mind if we go back to sleep?"

"Of course! I'll be on my way. Get well soon, you two!"

Before Chimecho left, she said "Oh, and don't be surprised if the rest of the guild barge in after I leave. I'm telling them you're awake"

"Come on, we're trying to sleep!" I groaned "Can you tell them later?"

"Nope! They deserve to know you're awake!" Chimecho giggled "May I remind you that you've been unconscious for _five_ hours"

"Five hours?!"

"Hey everyone! Silvin and Priscilla are awake now!"

"No! Shut up Chimecho!"

But my protests didn't stop the rest of the guild charging into our room, bombarding us with words of relief.

"Oh my gosh! All of us were so worried!" Sunflora said "I'm so glad you're finally up!"

"I'm mighty glad for you two!" Bidoof grinned "If anything happened to you two, I'd…"

"Don't cry Bidoof. We're not dead yet"

"S-sorry" Bidoof sniffed.

After a few minutes of talking and "Get well soons", everyone left to let us rest at last.

"Hey Silvin…" Priscilla turned to me with a content smile "When are we going to tell the guild about Grovyle and Dusknoir?"

"When we're well enough to get up" I replied flatly "I haven't even been hurt anywhere except for my arms, but everything hurts. It's strange"

"Same for me too. I guess we've been pushing ourselves too hard" the Eevee stroked my ears gently "But Grovyle mentioned some odd things back there. Who's Dialga?"

"And what did Grovyle mean by "surprised to see you in this world"?" I continued "He's was implying that Dusknoir didn't even come from this world"

"We forgot to ask Chimecho if Dusknoir reappeared in the guild" Priscilla sighed "I think he disappeared to pursue Grovyle"

"In whatever case, Dusknoir became more mysterious than he's been already" I said "Grovyle mentioned Dusknoir "putting up a front to gain the trust of others". Is Dusknoir really a famous explorer or is he just a sham?"

"Silvin, I wouldn't trust Grovyle's words if I were you" Priscilla chided "He probably said that to sully Dusknoir's good name and make us distrust him"

"True" I rested my arms next to me and began to close my eyes "I suppose we can leave rescue and outlaw capture jobs to the others?"

"Yeah… they are all such good people…" Priscilla said dreamily "Zelot, Sara, Henry, Zach, Niko and now Ezra… I'm sure they can cover the team in our absence"

"Expect them to come in the morning to check on us" I smiled "Or now"

"Please not now. I need to sleep" Priscilla muttered.

"Sorry then. I've been talking too much" I eased myself into my bed "Sweet dreams Priscilla"

"You too Silvin…"

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 32_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 30_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Zach, Shinx_

 _Level 28_

 _Moves: Spark, Charge, Tackle and Bite_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Niko, Mareep_

 _Level 27_

 _Moves: Discharge, Thundershock, Cotton Spore and Thunder Wave_

 _IQ Level: **_

 **The next chapter will be a filler chapter where the other members of Team Skylar (Zach, Niko, Henry and Ezra) take on rescue and outlaw capture missions in Craggy Coast, along with recruiting a new member. This is for some character development and to give Silvin and Priscilla time to recover from Grovyle's attack. Sorry if this took longer than usual. I had a fever for the past week and it has really messed up my motivation to write. Because of that, forgive me if the writing in this chapter is of a lower quality than the usual (at least to me) Follow and favorite if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	18. Chapter 17: Time Thief

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 17: Time Thief

"Silvin? Priscilla?" Zach quietly asked behind the door "Are you awake?"

I blinked my eyes open as the morning sun gleamed into our window. The bandages on my arms felt old and moldy, as they were stained with dried blood. I had to change them later or have someone else do it for me.

"Silvin? Priscilla?" Zach knocked on the door, awakening Priscilla as well.

"Huh? Is that you Zach?" the Eevee called.

"I brought Niko and Ezra too. Niko brought soup" Zach said "Can we come in?"

"Go ahead" I said and Zach pushed open the door, revealing a Shinx, Mareep and Absol, all with somber looks.

"I heard you two were hurt particularly hard" Niko said quietly as he pushed a tray to two bowls of soup towards us "Zelot and Henry helped me hunt to gather the ingredients. Drink up"

"What kind of soup is it?" I asked as I took a bowl and began to drink. It had a warm, herb-like taste to it along with chicken.

"It's chicken soup mixed with a few herbs and berries from the forest" Niko smiled gently "Ezra mentioned that one of the ingredients acted as a general cure to all illnesses and injuries. She's quite knowledgeable about herbs and medicine!"

The Absol stared at me with a look of shyness and concern "Are you two feeling okay?"

"Aside from my entire body being sore and my arms constantly bleeding, then yeah, I'm good" I slurped down the soup with obvious hunger "Chimecho said I should be up and ready in two weeks, but this soup will surely help. I'm feeling warm and healthy already"

"I'm glad to hear that" Zach smiled "Because to be honest… we've been at a loss ever since this morning. Zelot said we can't make any decisions for the team without your consent"

"Oh right. I'm the team leader" I cleared my throat "Zach, you're going to take Niko, Henry and Ezra out on rescue and outlaw capture missions today to raise money for the team. I'm sending you four in particular to earn more experience fighting. Zelot and Sara are already experienced enough"

"Oh alright then. And who will be leading the team?" Niko asked.

"Zach will. Is that alright with you?" I asked, turning to the Shinx.

"M-me? Yeah, I can do it. No problem" Zach grinned as sparks began bubbling around him to signify his excitement "I suppose we should leave now?"

"Don't take missions in areas too tough for you" I warned "I suggest the Craggy Coast area for a team of your caliber"

"Alright then, we'll look for missions there first" Zach nodded "See you two and get well soon!"

"Be careful and thanks for the soup!" I called as Zach and his group shut the door behind them.

"You think they'll be okay?" Priscilla asked as she set down the bowl on the floor "This is the first time they'll be on a mission without us"

"Zach has been protecting Niko for a long time. I think a leadership position fits him" I insisted "And if he's feeling inadequate, he could always ask Zelot or Sara to be his advisor for a day"

"True, true" Priscilla nodded "Anyways, how are you feeling?"

"My entire body is still sore and my arms continued to bleed overnight" I rubbed my shoulders slowly "It's probably because I used Focus Punch twice. The move drains me so much"

"And Grovyle just ate a Sitrus Berry and healed it all off" Priscilla smacked the ground lightly "Damn him. I hope to hell that Dusknoir finally captures him"

I raised an eyebrow "You're strangely agitated. The last time I saw this side of you was when Team Skull was around"

"Ugh, don't even mention them" Priscilla groaned "I don't want any sort of bad memories making me more mad"

"I'll keep the subject in my mouth then" I promised "... Niko's soup was tasty, wasn't it?"

"It was. I didn't know he was a good chef" Priscilla agreed "Ezra seems friendly too, even though she doesn't talk much. I guess she's shy?"

"That's what it seems. Maybe Zach can tell us more about her when he comes back from the mission" I said "Are you well enough to walk?"

"I-I think so" Priscilla took a deep breath and eased herself off of her bed, struggling to stand. I helped her remain steady, much to the gratitude and affection of my partner. We eventually made it to the front of Wigglytuff's Chambers and found Chatot in front as usual.

"Silvin! Priscilla!" Chatot squawked "What are you two doing up? You should be resting!"

"Sorry Chatot. We just need to tell the guild something" I informed "It's something important"

"How important?" Chatot asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's about Grovyle and Dusknoir. We think they have a connection" Priscilla explained.

"Really now? That's interesting" Chatot nodded "I'll signal the entire guild to assemble immediately. Please wait a moment"

Not too long later, everyone was in front of Wigglytuff's chambers. Even Azelf made an appearance.

"Ahem, so let me begin" I cleared my throat and began to talk "Yesterday at Crystal Lake, Dusknoir and Grovyle had an… interesting exchange"

"Grovyle talked about Dusknoir "chasing him for far too long" and that he works for someone called Dialga" Priscilla said "Grovyle also said that Dusknoir was "putting up a front to gain the trust of others""

"... He could of been saying it to make you distrust Dusknoir" Sunflora said uneasily.

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking" I nodded in agreement "But the weird part was when Dusknoir hinted that he knew Grovyle from before. He said "You're not getting away this time, Grovyle""

"He could of simply meant that Grovyle wasn't escaping like usual. Nothing wrong with that" Dugtrio countered.

"However, Dusknoir said something that nobody can counter" Priscilla pointed out "When he saw Grovyle, he announced that "It has been too long!""

"WHAT?!"

""It's been hard tracking you, but I finally caught you!"" Priscilla continued "That proves Dusknoir knows Grovyle and has probably been pursuing him for a long time!"

"Do you know where Dusknoir is now?" Chatot asked.

"For all we know, probably still chasing Grovyle" I answered "He said "There's no escaping me, Grovyle!" and disappeared into shadow"

Before someone could speak, a loud alarm went up in the guild.

"The emergency alarm!" Loudred cried.

"Diglett! What's going on over there?" Dugtrio shouted.

"It's an alert from Magnemite!" Diglett called "He said it's an emergency call from Officer Magnezone!"

Diglett popped next to the sentry hole and turned behind him "Deputy Magnemite, please shout your message down the sentry hole! I will relay it to the guild!"

"ZZZT! Did you hear me? ZZZT!" Diglett recited "ZZZT! This is an important announcement from Officer Magnezone! ZZZT!"

"ZZZT! Please gather in the main square in Treasure Town! ZZZT!" Diglett announced "ZZZT! He will have a major announcement to make for everyone! ZZT!"

"ZZZT! All Pokemon in the area have been summoned! ZZT!" Diglett continued "Not just Pokemon in the guild. ZZT! That is all. Thank you for your cooperation! ZZT!"

"Everyone! Report to the main square immediately!" Chatot ordered "Everyone go!"

Everyone streamed out of the guild, leaving me and Priscilla alone.

"Can you climb the ladder?" I asked.

"What about you?"

"I-I think I can manage it. If I go slow, that is"

"Then I can to. Come on Silvin"

"Oh look, the guild members!" a Teddiursa called as we entered Treasure Town's main square.

"So even the guild's Pokemon were called. Things must be serious!" Ursaring exclaimed.

"For them to be called, something serious must be happening!" Vigoroth agreed.

Uxie and Mesprit perked up when they saw Azelf with us.

"You're not hurt, are you Azelf?" Mesprit asked worryingly.

"No, I'm fine Mesprit" Azelf replied reassuringly.

"The Time Gear?" Uxie asked.

"In Crystal Lake"

"Are you sure it's safe without you protecting it?" Mesprit questioned.

"I encased it in a giant shell of crystal. Stealing it wouldn't be easy" Azelf answered easily "It's safe for now"

"Oh, that's good" Mesprit grinned "With our injuries, I don't think we could afford to fight for a while"

"Indeed" Uxie agreed.

"Ah, Priscilla and Silvin! I'm glad you're safe" Dusknoir waved at us as we came into the main square.

"Let's save the greetings for later and get down to business" I said firmly "Dusknoir, I'll have some questions for you. First of all, what happened to Grovyle? Did you pursue him? If so, then what has become of him?"

"Let me answer those in the town meeting" Dusknoir nodded "But just to let you two know, I gave pursuit to Grovyle, but he slipped away from me at the last second sadly"

"And back when you were fighting Grovyle in Crystal Lake, you and Grovyle's interaction implies that you two know each other. Care to explain?" Priscilla asked.

"ZZZT! Sorry to interrupt! ZZZT!" Magnezone interrupted "ZZZT! But the great Dusknoir plans to explain everything that has happened thus far in this meeting and that includes his relation to Grovyle. So can I have everyone gather around? ZZT!"

Moments later, we all neatly gathered in the town square, with Dusknoir, Magnezone, Magnemite and the lake trio at the front.

"ZZZT! Looks like everyone is here! ZZZT!" Magnezone called our attention back to the front "ZZZT! So I would like to get this meeting started! ZZT!"

"Very well. Shall I begin Officer Magnezone?" Dusknoir offered.

"ZZZT! No, no. Allow me! ZZZT!" Magnezone cleared his throat (if he had one) "ZZZT! The topic of this meeting is the recent Time Gear thefts. Several Time Gears have been stolen recently by the one and only Grovyle! ZZT!"

"ZZT! In the regions where a Time Gear has been stolen, the flow of time comes to a standstill! ZZZT!" Magnezone continued "ZZZT! This is a serious problem, as many of you can tell! ZZZT!"

"ZZZT! However! However!" Magnezone called before mass panic could break out "Grovyle failed. One of the Time Gears was protected! ZZT!"

Instead of panic, everyone exploded into cheer.

"ZZZT! And the hero who protected the Time Gear was Azelf! ZZT!" Magnezone continued "And the hero who saved Azelf and drove away Grovyle was the one and only, Dusknoir! ZZZT!"

Even more cheer.

"Notice how we aren't even mentioned in this, despite weakening Grovyle before Dusknoir arrived" I whispered to Priscilla.

"To be fair, Grovyle healed off all the damage we did to him with his Sitrus Berry, so we didn't do much really" Priscilla shrugged "I'm fine with Magnezone not mentioning us. I don't do well with fame"

"Neither do I" I nodded in agreement "I guess I share your feelings"

"No wonder he's a famous explorer!" Ursaring exclaimed.

"Officer Magnezone, forgive me for interrupting" Dusknoir said calmly "But may I continue from here?"

"ZZT! Of course! Feel free to take it from here! ZZT!" Magnezone said politely.

"Everyone! While we should be happy that we protected the Time Gear this time…" Dusknoir began "The threat of Grovyle is still at large and we shouldn't feel safe and secure until he's gone. Grovyle will surely make another attempt at the Time Gear"

"There is another matter that is tied to this" Dusknoir continued as uneasy murmuring rippled through the crowd "It's an extremely important matter that I must discuss with everyone"

The murmuring quieted down as Dusknoir continued.

"Earlier, Priscilla asked me if I knew Grovyle based on my interaction with him at Crystal Lake" Dusknoir said "That is true. I DID know Grovyle before he began stealing the Time Gears"

"WHAT?!" everyone cried in shock.

"What I may say next will be ridiculous and beyond belief, but I implore you to believe me!" Dusknoir cleared his throat "But it happens to be the truth. If what I'm about to reveal to you isn't stopped, calamity is certain!"

"Well, what are you waiting FOR?! Tell us!" Loudred yelled.

"Grovyle is a Pokemon that came from the future" Dusknoir said and everyone gasped.

"F-future?" Sunflora said uneasily.

"Dad?" Diglett turned to his father "What does he mean by "from the future"?"

"I think Dusknoir means Grovyle came from a place that is yet to happen" Dugtrio replied, uncertain.

"But is that even possible?" Loudred asked "Like, how can a Pokemon come from the FUTURE?!"

"Grovyle… in the world of the future, he will be a notorious criminal" Dusknoir said gravely, drawing all our attention back to him "He has a large bounty on his head. To avoid capture, he fled to the past and plotted until he hit upon his utterly catastrophic plan"

"What is he planning to do by stealing the Time Gears?" Chatot asked.

"Grovyle wants to cause nothing less than… the planet's paralysis" Dusknoir answered grimly.

"Planet's… paralysis? I don't suppose he means to have 1000 Electric type Pokemon use Thunder Wave on the ground simultaneously, right?" I asked, rubbing the ground with my foot.

"No, Grovyle means to do something worse" Dusknoir replied "By paralyzing the planet, he means to stop movement on it completely. By taking a Time Gear, time slows in that region and with more Time Gears being stolen, the radius of stopped-time grows larger"

"What happened if a planet becomes paralyzed?" Teddiursa asked.

"The exact same as if a Pokemon were to get paralyzed, I'd wager" Priscilla answered "Incapable of moving, acting or anything else"

"Yes, Priscilla is correct there" Dusknoir nodded "However, the planet being paralyzed is not curable by a simple Cheri Berry. When a planet becomes paralyzed, all movement on it stops. The wind doesn't blow, water doesn't flow, the sun and moon never rise and the seasons never change. It's a world of unrelenting darkness"

"So it'll be safe to call it the end of the world?" I asked.

"More or less"

"The end of the w-world…?" Vigoroth repeated nervously.

"Is THAT what's going to happen if the Time Gears are taken away?!" Loudred asked panically.

"The way time has been going out of the control lately…" Dusknoir called our attention back to him "That too can be blamed on the theft of the Time Gears. As such, Grovyle is responsible for the mass outbreak of mystery dungeons and evildoer Pokemon too"

"And if all the Time Gears were stolen, it's over" Priscilla said darkly "The end of the world will come"

"S-so that's what will happen…" a Pidgey murmured nervously.

"This is bad!" Swellow cried.

"W-we have to do something!" Seedot stuttered.

"Hey, hey! I have a question!" Corphish piped up and everyone quieted down, focusing on him "There's something I don't understand"

"What would you like to know?" Dusknoir said politely.

"I understand this is a big problem and all but…" Corphish snapped his claws "My lack of understanding is about you Dusknoir. How do you know so much? Even with your wealth of knowledge, you shouldn't know the future, right? Only a Psychic type can do that"

"And even we can't accurately gleam the future. Only see bits and pieces" Azelf said in the corner.

"That's true…" Pidgey murmured.

"Come to think of it…"

"What Corphish said makes perfect sense" Dusknoir faced the crowd again "Under normal circumstances, it's true. I shouldn't know these things. However…"

"However…?"

"However… I know because I too am I Pokemon from the future!" Dusknoir declared.

"WHAT?!" everyone reeled back in shock.

"So Dusknoir is a Pokemon from the future too? That explains things" I said.

"By gosh and golly!" Bidoof exclaimed "This is so complicated that it's making my head spin. Yup, yup!"

"My objective is to capture Grovyle and its for that reason that I came from the future" Dusknoir explained "I needed to know as much as possible to ensure the capture of Grovyle, which is why I studied as much as I could about this world in the future"

"That's why you know so much" Priscilla realized "Because since you live in the future, you already know things that are going to happen!"

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Ursaring asked.

"Isn't an obvious? Who would believe a story like that if I waltz into Treasure Town for the first time?" Dusknoir spread his hands "Even now, I see shadows of doubt on several people's faces"

Those people swiftly jerked their heads to the ground in shame.

"I also didn't want to alert Grovyle to my presence" Dusknoir continued "So I hid my true identity to pass off as a normal Pokemon and went about with my work"

"Clever" Priscilla murmured.

"But… it's fact that I've been deceiving you" Dusknoir said sorrowfully "For keeping secret about my identity… I am sincerely sorry"

"No, no! Everything makes sense. You don't need to blame yourself!" Chatot protested.

"ZZZT! I concur! Dusknoir has done no wrong in my book! ZZZT!" Magnezone agreed "Right now, we should focus on capturing Grovyle. ZZT! We must capture him! ZZZT!"

"Yeah! We'll be in DEEP trouble if we let him go on!" Loudred shouted.

"We need to catch him before the world gets ruined!" Sunflora cried.

"Dusknoir, sir! I'll be glad to help!" Chimecho called.

"M-me too!" Diglett agreed.

"By golly, me too!" Bidoof joined in.

"Hey, hey! Count me in!" Corphish piped up.

"We'll cooperate as well" Uxie added.

"I refuse to remain a victim!" Mesprit said defiantly.

"We won't let him steal another one" Azelf promised.

Dusknoir looked around the crowd with a proud look "Everyone, I couldn't thank you enough. We as Pokemon will work as one to capture Grovyle and end his calamitous plot!"

"YEAH!" everyone cheered.

"Dusknoir sir" Azelf said as everyone began talking about us "In order to obtain the Time Gear of Crystal Lake, Grovyle knows he has to defeat me. Perhaps we can use that to our advantage?"

"Oh ho, I see where this is going" Uxie smiled darkly "Us three can spread rumors that we've gone off to Crystal Lake to seal the Time Gear so it cannot be taken. Then, that'll lure Grovyle to Crystal Lake where we can ambush him"

"I see. So you say you'll be the bait for the trap" Dusknoir replied uneasily "Are you fine with such an idea?"

"I'm all up for it" Mesprit said.

"If it means stopping Grovyle, I would like nothing more" Azelf nodded.

"We accept the risks" Uxie said firmly.

"I understand" Dusknoir turned back to us "Everyone! I'm going to explain our plan to capture Grovyle!"

Everyone returned their attention back to Dusknoir.

"First, I'd like everyone to spread a rumor far and wide" Dusknoir began "Spread word that the three Pokemon, Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf have all gone to Crystal Lake to seal the Time Gear away for good"

"I see. So you want this rumor to reach Grovyle's ears?" Chatot asked.

"Precisely. But Grovyle won't be convinced by rumor alone" Dusknoir turned to the lake trio beside him "That is why I must tell these three to do something. I want them to actually go to Crystal Lake"

"I get it! You'll bait Grovyle to go to Crystal Lake, where we can catch him!" Priscilla pointed out.

"Yes, but sadly, the "we" part doesn't come into play here" Dusknoir said disappointedly and everyone stopped talking, turning back to him.

"What do you mean?" Sunflora asked.

"Grovyle will be extremely wary when he enters the scene" Dusknoir explained "Even if he realizes that the lake trio actually gone to Crystal Lake, he'll be careful to the extreme. If we lay a massive ambush for him, it'll be too obvious and we won't be able to catch him off guard"

"That makes sense. Sorry for jumping ahead then" Priscilla apologized.

"Think nothing of it. Everyone else was excited to catch Grovyle themselves too" Dusknoir spread his hands "However, while I am capturing Grovyle alone, you all still have important roles to play"

"That's how it stands, guild members!" Chatot announced, going up to the front to turn to us "Up until now, we were capturing Grovyle. But now, we must change our priorities to spreading the rumor that Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit have gone off to Crystal Lake to seal the Time Gear"

"Hey, hey, I guess we have to do it, right…?" Corphish said slowly.

"If that's what it'll take, then sure…" Sunflora shrugged.

"Is that an acceptable plan, Guildmaster?" Chatot asked.

"Yup, yup!" Wigglytuff answered lightly.

"Thank you for your confirmation" Chatot smiled, then in a low voice "And thank you for staying awake this time. Thank goodness!"

"Thank you all for hearing me out today" Dusknoir said "I realize that I'm asking far too much of you, but please, do your part of the plan. Everyone, let's capture Grovyle by any means necessary!"

"YEAH!"

And so, Dusknoir and his trio of Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit set off to Crystal Lake to await Grovyle. Meanwhile, the rest of us spread rumors as often as we could.

"Yes, spread the rumor as often as possible, but not so much as to make Grovyle suspicious" Chatot answered Bidoof's question at morning briefing "Everyone is to go on with their regular duties along with spreading the rumor whenever they can. Everyone understood? Good. Get to work everyone!"

"HOORAY!"

"Let's get some rest Silvin. I don't think we can fight yet" Priscilla smiled wanly as we made our way back to our bedroom and collapsed on our beds, falling immediately into a deep sleep.

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 32_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 30_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **Just a filler chapter to cover all the dialogue in between Crystal Crossing and the next dungeon. Overall, nothing much aside from that. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of the next chapter and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	19. Chapter 18: The Future

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 18: The Future

For the next week, me and Priscilla rested and recovered from our injuries while Zach, Niko, Henry and Ezra did our daily duties for us. They brought money in for the team and to also buy healing medicine to speed up our recoveries. We really didn't thank them enough.

"So we just returned from Foggy Forest and got our rewards as usual. Nothing too grand" Zach reported "Aria's starting to become a real threat in battle. She's growing fast"

"That's good to hear. How's Ezra going?" I asked. Aria was a Dratini Zach and his group recruited a few days ago in Craggy Coast. I met her once, but she was was quiet and shy just like Ezra. We had too many of those kind of people in our team.

"Ezra's growing as well. Not as much as Aria is, mind you, but good as far as I can tell" the Shinx replied "She's got a lot of luck strangely. Many attacks that would of dealt a fatal hit missed her and she seems to strike enemy Pokemon's vital points often. Maybe she's just lucky?"

"Or perhaps she has the ability Super Luck" Priscilla observed "It's an ability that increases the user's chance to land critical blows on the enemy as well as avoid them from others"

"Either that or Ezra's innately really lucky" I said "Probably the former"

"Yeah, that's probably the case" Zach agreed "Anyways, how are you two feeling? We've been bringing medicine for both of you for days already"

"Yes and we can't thank you enough for it" I smiled "Thanks to you and the others, me and Priscilla are feeling better than ever. Given a few more hours of rest and I think I'm good to go to explore again!"

"Really? That's fantastic!" Zach exclaimed "Do you feel the same Priscilla?"

"Of course. What Silvin says applies to me too" Priscilla smiled lightly "Just a few more hours and I'll be ready to explore again as well"

"That's great to hear. I'll tell the others right away!" Zach turned to the door "Also I've been spreading the rumor around town, just like you asked me to"

"Thank you Zach. I'm glad you joined Team Skylar" I said and the Shinx grinned with gratitude.

"Well, I'm happy I joined. Be right back!" Zach said and he ran off.

"Well, let's get a little more rest…" Priscilla said sleepily before a loud siren went off in the guild.

"What the- What is that?!" Priscilla cried.

"The emergency siren from the sentry hole. Someone could be coming to report about Grovyle?" I guessed "Come on, let's see what's going on"

We made our way to the front of Wigglytuff's chambers where everyone has gathered to hear about the emergency siren.

"Deputy Magnemite is here!" Diglett called.

"ZZZT! This is a message from Officer Magnezone! ZZT!" Diglett recited Magnemite's message "ZZZT! We are pleased to deliver this report! ZZT! Grovyle has finally been captured!"

Everyone around us exploded into cheer.

"Grovyle has finally been captured!" Sunflora cheered.

"FINALLY that scumbag is down!" Loudred yelled.

"ZZT! There's more!" Diglett continued "ZZZT! Grovyle has been captured by the great Dusknoir! ZZT! He has informed us that he'll return to the future with Grovyle! ZZT!"

"Return to the future…?" Priscilla said slowly.

"ZZZT! Dusknoir wishes to say one last goodbye to everyone before he leaves, so he requests that everyone come to the town square to say farewell. That is all! ZZZT!" Diglett finished and everyone turned from a cheering mode to a curious one.

"Return to the future? How is he going to do THAT?" Loudred asked aloud.

"Magnemite mentioned something about a tunnel" Diglett said "He said Dusknoir was going to use a "dimensional hole" to get back to the future. We have to see it for ourselves"

"Hey, hey! Then what are we waiting for then?!" Corphish cried.

"Let's hurry. To Treasure Town!" Sunflora called and all of us left the guild to head to the main square. When we arrived, we found all of Treasure Town's residents staying far away from a weird swirling portal, which was guarded by Magnezone.

"Hey, hey! I don't see the great Dusknoir yet! Where is he?" Corphish asked.

"What's THAT?" Loudred walked in front of the swirling hole to take a closer look.

"ZZT! That's the dimensional hole Dusknoir mentioned! ZZT!" Magnezone explained.

"Golly! This is it? Isn't that something!" Bidoof exclaimed "So stepping inside this thing will take you to the future?"

Bidoof stepped forward, dangerously close to the dimensional hole and Magnezone blocked his path in an instant, hissing angrily.

"ZZZT! Stay clear! ZZT!" Magnezone warned "ZZT! The instant you touch the portal, you'll be taken to the future! ZZZT!"

"And clearly, the portal is only for Dusknoir and Grovyle, not us" I said firmly "So stay away everyone"

"So I assuming the plan succeeded?" Priscilla asked, turning to the lake trio behind her.

"Yep. I have to hand it to Dusknoir" Azelf said with admiration in his voice "His plan was flawless. Grovyle has been captured and we regained all the Time Gears he stolen. All is well"

"Dusknoir should be arriving shortly" Uxie said.

"Well, speak of the devil" Priscilla turned to the right "Here he comes"

"Everyone! MAKE WAY!" Loudred yelled and everyone stood aside for Dusknoir, creating a path straight into the dimensional hole. Dusknoir slowly strolled towards the main square, with two Sableye at his side. They pushed along Grovyle, who was bound in ropes.

"T-that's…" Kecleon said nervously.

"That's Grovyle?!" Loudred cried "Boy, he DOES look like a bad guy!"

"Heh, it's great that they finally caught him" Ursaring murmured.

The others around us have taken to pelt Grovyle with rocks, hissing condescending words to the thief. I'd say he deserved it, but it was worrisome seeing the town residents being so mean spirited. Could they be saying the same thing to me if I was in Grovyle's position?

"Everyone! Today, I would like to share excellent news with you!" Dusknoir announced, then turned to the bound Grovyle beside him "Finally… Grovyle… has been captured!"

Everyone burst into cheer, yelling Dusknoir's name in triumph.

"This was all made possible by your selfless cooperation and support!" Dusknoir continued, quieting down the crowd "I can't thank you all enough!"

More cheering.

"As you can see, Grovyle is a vicious and wicked Pokemon" Dusknoir said "His departure from your world should result in a lasting peace"

"Mmmmf! Mmmmf!" Grovyle shook his head vigorously, struggling against his bonds.

"However, I must also deliver a sad piece of news" Dusknoir continued sorrowfully, ignoring Grovyle's silent protests "It is time for me to return to the future. Everyone! I must bid you all a final farewell!"

"Oh, so that was true…? Hey, hey…" Corphish said sadly.

"I'm feeling the blues…" Bidoof sniffed "There was so much I wanted to learn from you, yup yup…"

"Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf…" Dusknoir turned to the lake trio "I entrust you with the rest"

The three nodded in understanding.

"ZZZT! Thank you very much! ZZZT!" Magnezone said "ZZZT! For everything! ZZZT! You have literally saved us all! ZZT!"

Could robots cry? Because I swore I detected strain in Magnezone's voice.

"Oh, no no" Dusknoir replied modestly as usual "It was all done with everyone's support and cooperation. I only wish that you continue to work to preserve the peace"

"ZZZT! Yes, you can depend on us for that! ZZT!" Magnezone replied.

"Now… I'm afraid our time has ended" Dusknoir looked at the ground sadly, then gestured to his Sableye silently. The Sableye pushed Grovyle to the dimensional hole, where they shoved the outlaw in, sending him to the future. The Sableye jumped in shortly after.

"Everyone! Though it pains me to leave…" Dusknoir approached the portal and turned back to face us all "I have the highest gratitude that you all helped save your world"

"Aww… I hate saying goodbye!" Sunflora cried.

"I-I hope we can see you again…" Diglett sniffed.

"Wah!" Chatot sobbed "Dusknoir sir… waah!"

Chimecho silently passed Chatot a box of tissues.

Dusknoir edged closer to the portal "Oh yes. Before I leave, I must see two Pokemon"

"Huh?"

"Silvin and Priscilla"

"That's us. Let's see what Dusknoir wants to say" Priscilla urged me to come forward.

"So this is really goodbye, huh…?" I said slowly "For everything you have done for us and the world… I thank you for it. Truly. You're a real hero Dusknoir"

"Well… this is… goodbye…?" Dusknoir sniffed, then straightened "... Or is it?"

"What?!"

In a blur, Dusknoir grabbed both of us by our necks "It's too late for farewells! You two are coming with me!"

"What in the world- Stop him!" Zach yelled in the back of the crowd "Dusknoir has Silvin and Priscilla!"

"Release them at once!" Sara shot a blast of Shadow Ball at Dusknoir, but it didn't even faze him.

"Get your hands off them!" Zelot charged through the crowd straight towards Dusknoir, but Dusknoir yanked us into the dimensional hole with him, sending us far into the future. The portal closed before any of our team members could interfere.

"By gosh!" Bidoof cried in alarm.

"Silvin! Priscilla!" Chimecho yelped.

"W-what was…" Kecleon stuttered.

"What just happened?" Sunflora asked.

"Dusknoir just abducted Silvin and Priscilla into the future, that's what!" Zach growled "We have to find a way to rescue them. Sara, Ezra, Aria and Niko! Research anything you can to bring back Silvin and Priscilla!"

"Got it!" the four Pokemon nodded in response and rushed back to camp.

"What… happened? How could Dusknoir…" Chatot stuttered, then fluttered his wings "This has to be a nightmare. I'm going back to the guild to rest"

"Zach, we should get to doing missions" Zelot advised "The others have Priscilla and Silvin's whereabouts covered. In the meantime, we need to earn money and items for the team while they are gone"

"... Yes, yes of course" Zach nodded "I miss them already but… we have to believe they'll be fine. They'll find a way back"

"For now, let's carry their legacy while they are gone" Zelot gave Zach a gentle smile "Let's do our leaders proud"

"Right" Zach turned to Henry, who was wide eyed with shock "Henry, let's go"

The Starly was silent.

"Henry?"

"Leave him. He's clearly frozen in shock" Zelot whispered in Zach's ear "We can handle a mission or two ourselves, right?"

"Let's bring him back to his roost at least" Zach decided "We can't leave him frozen in the town square, right?"

"Of course. Allow me" Zelot scooped up Henry like he was a garbage bag and brought him back to his roost at camp. Then he accompanied Zach back to the guild to take on a mission.

"We'll find a way to bring you two back" Zach thought as he ran through missions on the notice board "I swear it"

Meanwhile in the dimensional hole…

"Wah!" Priscilla screamed next to me as we tumbled through a tunnel in space and time, jumping centuries ahead into the future. When we arrived, I instantly fell unconscious.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Master Dialga…" Dusknoir said ominously atop a tall, crippled tower of gray rock "While I encountered more difficulty than anticipated, I finally succeeded. I captured both Grovyle and Silvin"

"GRRRRRR…" Dialga responded with a heavy growl, his red eyes and glowing orange lines gleaming through the darkness.

"Their execution will occur shortly" Dusknoir reported "I know what must be done. Those who dare alter the course of history must be killed and removed from history"

"GRRRR…" Dialga growled.

"I understand. I will see to it immediatly" Dusknoir replied gravely "I take my leave"

Dialga's red eyes and orange outline faded into darkness as Dusknoir dissolved into shadow, teleporting himself to the stockade, where he rounded up the Sableye to deal out the execution of Grovyle, Silvin and Priscilla.

"It's all over now Grovyle and Silvin…" Dusknoir murmured to himself "Nobody can change history. Nobody can change this bleak, dark world… no sunshine will ever… come through…"

Dusknoir grabbed his head in agony "No… I must not think about it. The world of the past… means nothing now that I know the future. The sunlight and the wind at my back… will become nothing but the darkness of the future. That's it"

…

"Hey Silvin… are you awake?" Priscilla whispered to me. I blinked open my eyes to a cold floor of stone and got up, finding myself in a prison cell surrounded by jagged rocks. A layer of iron bars covered the only escape.

"Where are we?" I asked quietly as I rose and inspected the area. As I thought, there was no way of escape aside from the barricaded door.

"It's a jail cell" Priscilla replied, words heavy on her voice "I awoken a few minutes ago and still have no idea what's going on. Dusknoir… he grabbed us and took us to the future? I remember tumbling through a tunnel"

I walked over to the iron bars and shook of them. As I predicted, they didn't budge. I summoned my strength and punched the door with my fist, but they only left me cradling my hand on the ground like a baby.

"I tried the doors before you woke up. Nothing worked" Priscilla removed the bandages on my arms "Fortunately, our injuries are healed so if we had to fight, we wouldn't be at a huge disadvantage"

"I'd thank Zach and the others if we weren't trapped in the future" I mumbled as I stood up and shook my arms "Did they take our Treasure Bags?"

Priscilla bit her lip "Yes, they did. I don't know where they are. If we have to make a break to escape, we wouldn't have any food, water or seeds to sustain us"

"That's… worrisome" I murmured as I paced the ground "But looking at the future like this, it really makes you think"

"About what?"

"Well, this is the future. If Grovyle really did fail in his plan, the world would be at peace, right? Why would they need a jail cell?" I asked.

"Well, there are still going to be criminals around even after the fall of Grovyle" Priscilla countered "This could simply be the prison Magnezone's police throw outlaws in"

"But if that's the case, what did we do?" I wondered aloud "What did we do to deserve being thrown into the future and locked in a prison cell?"

"... I don't know" Priscilla looked at the ground with a look of despair "I don't know why ANY of this is happening"

"Another question is consider is how are we going to get back to our world?" I cupped my hand under my chin "Opening a portal to the past isn't something as simple as getting a snack from the fridge"

"You are awfully calm about all this"

"In dire situations, it's best to not panic. Zelot taught me that"

Before Priscilla could reply, the iron bars rumbled and opened, revealing four Sableye entering our cell.

"They are awake. How convenient" one of the Sableye snickered, then turned to his brethren "Alright. We'll do this quick"

"Do what quick? What are you going to do?" Priscilla demanded.

The Sableye didn't respond and instead rushed over us, blindfolding us and gagging us.

"Mmpf!" Priscilla growled.

"Gah! I'm being carried off like some… some toy!" I thought "Where are they taking us?"

When the Sableye finally unwrapped the blindfold and gag, I found myself tied to a stake by a million thick ropes. Two spotlights were above us and I saw Priscilla beside me, struggling in her bonds.

"Are you okay Priscilla?" I whispered.

"Hmph, you're as clueless to the situation as the other one is" a voice said beside me "I guess you can afford to be nonchalant about it, given the circumstance you just came from"

"Who's there?" I demanded and the third spotlight turned on, revealing Grovyle, who was bound in the same way we were. Tied to a stake.

"Grovyle!" Priscilla cried in alarm.

"You two children… do you have any clue where you are?" Grovyle asked quietly.

"Umm… the future?"

"Well, you aren't wrong there, but you're also in the stockade" Grovyle explained "Where they execute criminals like me"

"What? Execute criminals?" Priscilla wriggled in her ropes to no avail "But we didn't do anything!"

"Hmph, I couldn't care less" if Grovyle wasn't bound, I'm pretty sure he would of shrugged "But you must of done something that they couldn't tolerate, which is why you're here"

"But I know for a fact that we did nothing bad!" Priscilla protested "We're nothing like you!"

"Like I said, I don't care" Grovyle hissed "You're wasting your energy losing your cool. Meanwhile… here they come"

All the lights around us turned on to reveal a group of six Sableye have entered the room. They turned around in unison and made one of their eyes flash yellow, as if they were signalling something.

"Who are they?" Priscilla whispered.

"They are the jailers that do all the dirty work around here" Grovyle answered "They also happen to be Dusknoir's underlings. The Sableye"

"The "great" Dusknoir everyone in the past is a fan of? THAT Dusknoir?!" Priscilla went wide eyed in shock "How could he…"

"Pah, he had all of you fooled" Grovyle said "Like I told you back at Crystal Lake. Dusknoir is putting up a front to gain the trust of others. Namingly, you and your guild"

Before any of us could reply, Dusknoir entered the scene, looking nonchalant as usual.

"Lord Dusknoir. The three are tied at the stake" a Sableye reported "We await your command as to begin the execution"

"Excellent" Dusknoir nodded in understanding "Pay them no need to any protests. You may proceed when ready"

"Wheh-heh-heh!" the Sableye jumped in excitement and surrounded us on all sides, claws emerging from their hands.

"Wait a minute, Dusknoir!" Priscilla shouted "Explain yourself NOW! Why are we here?!"

"Keep your voice down" Grovyle scowled, then dropped to a whisper "Instead, quiet down so they can't hear you"

"Listen you two… if you want to get away, I want your full cooperation" Grovyle instructed.

"What…? Help you, Grovyle?" Priscilla questioned.

"Do we have any choice right now?" I scowled at Priscilla "The Sableye are getting ready to execute us on the spot. If we want to get home, we have to do anything"

"Which includes listening to Grovyle" Priscilla slumped in defeat "Fine, I concede. What do we do?"

"Psst, you there!" Grovyle turned to me "What can you do in these ropes right now?"

"Wow, asking me on the spot. Umm…" I thought for a little bit "What about using an item?"

Grovyle arched his eyebrows "Do you think they would allow us to keep our bags? Plus, we're tied up, so it'll be hard to use an item before we're sliced to pieces. It's something we can do instantaneously"

"Well, you aren't dropping any clues…" I murmured, then thought again "How about a move?"

"That could work, but moves take too long to execute" Grovyle countered "We need something to come out instantly. A split second makes a whole difference"

"So all we have left is basic attacks" I said.

"And it's our only option" Grovyle nodded.

"Sir, we're ready to begin!" a Sableye told Dusknoir.

"Good" Dusknoir fumbled with his hands "But be vigilant to the end! Never take your eyes off them. Especially that Grovyle"

"Wheh-heh-heh!" the Sableye replied

Dusknoir backed up "Commence… now!"

"Wheh-heh-heh!"

"... Here they come" Priscilla murmured "What do we do?"

"Listen carefully" Grovyle whispered "Sableye use claws to strike and they'll "execute" us using Fury Swipes. That means…"

"They'll open up the ropes with their claws" I realized "And that's when we attack"

"Exactly"

"But what if they use another move?" Priscilla asked worriedly.

"Then we're done for. All we can rely on is if they use Fury Swipes or not"

"Wheh-heh-heh!" the Sableye began their assault, slashing the ropes binding us back and forth with Fury Swipes.

"Gah!"

"En-en-endure it!" Grovyle stuttered.

As the Sableye continued to slash apart at our bonds, tears began appearing.

"It's tearing!" Priscilla called.

"Now!" Grovyle yelled as the ropes fell apart and we were cut loose. We knocked all the Sableye down to the ground.

"Gwah!" the Sableye cried in pain.

"W-what is this?!" Dusknoir cried in alarm.

"There!" Grovyle pulled a Luminous Orb out of nowhere and slammed it on the ground, unleashing a flash of light that blinded the Sableye.

"Gah! I can't see!" a Sableye cried.

"Compose yourself! It's only a Luminous Orb!" Dusknoir yelled "It's effects wear off quickly!"

When the flash faded, we were gone. The Sableye looked around in confusion.

"B-blast it!" Dusknoir growled in anger "That Grovyle! He escaped using the flash from the Luminous Orb as cover! They won't get away from this. Come!"

"Wheh-heh-heh!" the Sableye followed Dusknoir out of the execution room. When all of them left, us and Grovyle popped out of the ground. Grovyle used Dig to create a hole for us to hide in.

"Ugh, I got dirt in my mouth…" Priscilla groaned as she spat out a clod of dirt.

"We got out of that scrape, but we aren't out of the woods yet" Grovyle informed us "Let's get out of here fast"

Without word, Grovyle left the execution room. I looked over at Priscilla and both of us nodded at each other. We needed Grovyle's help to go home. We followed the outlaw out of the stockade.

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 32_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 30_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **Oh boy, here we go. Welcome to the the first "In the Future" chapter (aka my favorite arc in the game) Following this chapter until the finale of the main story, we won't get any "interlude" type chapters where we do regular missions, so the rest of Team Skylar isn't going to have a huge presence in the later chapters. Coming up next is Chasm Cave and Dark Hill. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	20. Chapter 19: Frozen Despair

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 19: Frozen Despair

"Come on! This way!" Grovyle yelled "We have to make it to the exit!"

Along the way, Grovyle found our treasure bags and scooped them up for us while urging us to run faster.

"Come on! Faster! Pick it up!" Grovyle urged.

"This is as fast as I can go! Quit ordering me around!" Priscilla protested while panting "Anyway Grovyle…"

"What?"

"Is this really the future?"

"It is. You catch on fast" Grovyle replied sarcastically.

"Ugh, so does that mean…" Priscilla began "Will we be able to get back to our world?"

"Who knows? We just need to get away" Grovyle shrugged "Now hurry it up!"

"I know! I know!"

"There it is! The exit!" I called as we rapidly approached a set of iron doors. We barreled straight into them, busting them open and coming back to the open air. I would of said "open air" if the air wasn't still. All around us were rocks suspended in the air, as if time stopped before a landslide occurred. Nothing around us moved. The wind was still and the sky was a perpetual void of darkness.

"Looking at this raises so many questions" I said as I touched the ground. As I thought, the little pieces of dirt were immovable, as if they were made of steel "If this is the future world where Grovyle failed in causing the planet's paralysis, then why did everything stop?"

"Wheh-heh-heh!"

"Ah! I hear the Sableye!" Priscilla cried in alarm.

"We have to keep moving!" Grovyle ordered and we rushed off, dashing as fast as could across the ruined rocky bridge. Eventually, we made it to the base of a mountain.

"Listen Grovyle. I'm exhausted as all hell right now. Can we take a rest?" Priscilla pleaded.

"We can't rest!" Grovyle snapped "If they catch us, we're done for! Tough it out and run!"

"Easy for you to say!" Priscilla snapped back "No, that's it. I need to rest"

"Hmph, I suppose we can afford a few minutes. Let's hide in the overpass, where the Sableye can't see us" Grovyle led us over to the crack in the mountain, which shielded us from view easily.

"We can rest for a few minutes. After that, we have to continue moving" Grovyle said firmly.

"Wait a minute. We cooperated in the stockade because we had no other choice" Priscilla said "But that never meant we were going back with you! A bad Pokemon like you isn't worth trusting"

"Priscilla, there's no time for that now!" I cried "We're trapped in a future where the entire world is paralyzed. If we want to go back to the past, we have to be able to do anything! Even cooperate with Grovyle!"

"Hmph, so I'm the bad guy and Dusknoir's the good guy?" Grovyle asked, skeptical "If so, then what happened back at the stockade?"

"That doesn't mean I should put my faith in you Grovyle!" Priscilla countered.

"Feh, earning your trust is a hard task, it seems" Grovyle turned his back on us "I thought having allies would help, but…"

"But…"

"Clearly, we're going to keep going in circles until the Sableye catch us. You can't cooperate without trust" Grovyle stepped towards the cavern into the mountain "I'm continuing on and you should get moving soon too. Good luck"

"Wait a minute Grovyle" Priscilla said in a low voice and Grovyle turned around to face her "It's dark out now. Shouldn't we wait for morning to continue on?"

"Priscilla, now you're just in denial" I arched my eyebrows "This is the future where nothing moves. Morning never comes"

"The Riolu is right. Morning never comes sadly" Grovyle added gravely "So you can stay here all you like to be captured by the Sableye again. I'm moving on"

And Grovyle left, going into the cavern on his own.

"Ugh, I don't know what to think anymore" Priscilla groaned "Wasn't the planet's paralysis supposed to be caused by Grovyle stealing all the Time Gears? If so, then why is the planet still paralyzed in the future?"

"I'm asking the same question" I replied, checking behind us to see if the Sableye were approaching "But clearly, we don't know the answer to it now. Come on, let's hurry and follow Grovyle"

Priscilla was silent, staring at the ground.

"Face it Priscilla. We can't do anything BUT cooperate with Grovyle to get out of here" I reminded the Eevee "He's our only way out"

"... I know"

"Wheh-heh-heh!"

That made me and Priscilla jump in surprise.

"The Sableye!" Priscilla turned to me with a look of panic "Let's hurry up and go!"

"Just as I was thinking. Let's move!"

Chasm Cave, as Priscilla decided to name it, was a weird dungeon. When we entered, the walls and floor around us collapsed instantly, only providing narrow pathways to move around. All around us was the neverending abyss of darkness. The enemy Pokemon were new and things we've never seen before. The Magnemite, Magneton and Onix fell easily to my Fighting type attacks, but the Grumpig and Skarmory proved harder than I thought. Luckily, I had Bite for the Grumpig, but we had to avoid the Skamory altogether or incapacitate them with seeds. Finally, the Drifloon and Drifblim. They were nightmares.

"What's with these guys? How are they so fast?!" I cried as I blocked a regular attack from a Drifloon and dodged the second. Before I could retaliate, the Drifloon fired two Shadow Balls in my face, sending me to the ground. Priscilla nailed it with Bite, but Drifloon exploded when they died, causing catastrophic damage to both of us, since we both used Bite to handle Drifloon.

"It's Drifloon's abilities that are causing this" Priscilla realized "Unburden increases your speed when not holding or wearing an item and Aftermath makes the user blow up after they die, essentially creating a suicide bomb of a Pokemon"

"I have a feeling both of them are going to be very annoying" I muttered before I sank my teeth into another Drifloon. However, this Drifloon didn't explode strangely, unlike all the other Drifloons I attacked. Curious, I threw my fist at the balloon Pokemon and it staggered backwards. Even more strange, seeing as everytime I tried it with another Drifloon or Drifblim, my hand passed through them like it was nothing. I slammed into the enemy Drifloon with Force Palm and it's disguise burned off, revealing itself to be a Ditto.

"This dungeon is strange" I said to Priscilla.

We continued onwards, going through the fourth, fifth and sixth floor. Going through the hallway on the seventh floor, a dual blast of Shadow Ball nearly clipped me off the narrow path.

"Whoa!" I turned to the direction of the Shadow Balls and saw a Drifloon with a murderous smile and psychotic eyes. It launched Shadow Ball after Shadow Ball, forcing us into a dangerous dance of death on the pathway. Before this could go on for too long, Priscilla threw an Iron Thorn at the Drifloon, which popped it instantly and it fell into the abyss below.

"Too close. Too damn close" I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched the Iron Thorn go down into the darkness with the deflated Drifloon "But… did you notice something Priscilla?"

"Notice what?"

"The expressions of all the Pokemon here in the cave" I explained, looking around for more enemies "All of them have insane, psychotic eyes. Every single one has an unnaturally wide grin, as if they are happy to kill us"

"... I tried to forget. Gods above, I tried to forget" Priscilla murmured "But I saw an Onix earlier with blood running down his eyes! He looked at me and all I saw were pits of darkness as his pupils"

"... I spotted a Skarmory not too long ago with sharp rows of metal teeth" I continued "His entire mouth was bloody and I spotted bits of flesh on the teeth, like it just recently consumed a meal"

"Oh god. This is a nightmare" Priscilla hugged me tightly "Please tell me it's a nightmare"

"It's just a nightmare. We'll wake up eventually" I hugged her back as my eyes darted around for any enemies approaching "We'll be back in our beds in the guild. We'll go outside and meet with our friends. We'll do rescue and outlaw capture missions as usual. Everything will be normal"

"But I know it's all true" Priscilla cried over my shoulder "No matter how much I delude myself, I know this is all true. All the Pokemon with psychotic smiles and grins… all the bloody eyes and mouths… everything is true"

"...I know it is. All the more reason to escape" I patted the Eevee's back gently "I vow this to you Priscilla. We WILL make it back to the world of the past. I don't care how many Pokemon I have to kill to do it. We WILL make it back home. You understand?!"

"Y-yes, I understand" Priscilla sniffled, then steadied herself "Yes, I understand. We will make it home Silvin! No matter what!"

"That's what I want to hear. So stay optimistic until the end" I grinned "If you can't, you're welcome to cry on my shoulder anytime you like. Just not while we're fighting"

"Of course. I'll try to keep the crying to a minimum" The Eevee nodded "Okay, enough tears. Let's go!"

Eventually, we reached the end of the dungeon, arriving at the side of what was once a waterfall.

"I think we put some distance between us and the Sableye" Priscilla asked as she turned around to check our path "Let's take a break for now, then move on"

"I spot some water there. Do you think we can drink it?" I wondered aloud as I made my way over to the waterfall, which was frozen in time.

"I don't even think we can interact with anything here" Priscilla touched the frozen waterfall "Yeah, it's nothing but frozen water. It's like I'm touching a piece of stone"

I felt the water too. Just like Priscilla said, the frozen water was as hard as rock. I couldn't even dip my hand underwater. It was like someone literally froze the water into an unbreakable substance.

"Did you feel anything? Like a Dimensional Scream?" Priscilla asked "I know, I know, it's a dumb question. I'm just desperate for answers"

I closed my eyes and concentrated, touching the frozen stream of water. Nothing. I felt no nausea.

"Well? Feel anything?"

I shook my head disappointingly.

"Ugh, that's upsetting" Priscilla paced the ground anxiously "Anyway, we spent too much time here. Let's hurry and move on before the Sableye catch up"

"Good idea"

The next dungeon, Dark Hill was outright nightmarish for both of us. 95% of the enemy Pokemon there were Ghost type. Gengar, Banette, Dusclops, Misdreavus and Haunter all haunted the floors, giving both me and Priscilla major problems. Our main Fighting and Normal type moves were useless on them, so we had to resort to Bite to hit them. Which wasn't good considering we were getting low on Max Elixirs and the Dusclops forced us to expend more PP than usual on Bite, thanks to its ability, Pressure.

"I'll live my whole life and never understand abilities" I muttered as I took down another Haunter with Bite "How does your presence alone force me to use more PP on my moves?"

"I don't know Silvin. I just don't know" Priscilla shook her head "All I can tell you is that we should avoid the Dusclops completely. They are going to waste our Max Elixirs"

"That would be a good idea if everyone in this damn dungeon didn't have SPITE!" I growled as I bit another Misdreavus, but a dark spirit appeared behind it, sapping all my remaining PP on Bite.

"Oh for god's sake!" I snarled and knocked Misdreavus aside with a regular attack, taking the ghost down "I need another Max Elixir…"

So not only were the ghosts annoying, the Claydol and Gliscor only added to the nightmarish hell that was Dark Hill. The Claydol were simple enough to kill with Bite, but they took two Bites to take down and they nearly killed me twice with Psychic. It was only because of Priscilla's quick reaction with Reviver Seeds that I wasn't dead yet. Meanwhile, the Gliscor were resistant to my Fighting moves and took neutral damage to my Bite and Quick Attack. Like with the Skarmory in Chasm Cave, we incapacitated the Gliscor with seeds.

"Ah dammit. Another Banette nailed me with Spite before I could kill it" I grumbled as I dug through my treasure bag for another Max Elixir. I searched through my bag, feeling no familiar bottles. I turned my bag upside down looking for a Max Elixir, but found nothing. Priscilla confirmed to not have any either. As I zipped my bag close, I saw an approaching wave of Ghost types coming our way. Neither of us had Bite anymore.

"Run!" I cried and we fled as fast as we could, dashing through hallways in a desperate pursuit of the stairs. Anything that came in our path, Priscilla stabbed them in the face with Iron Thorns. I lopped Sleep and Stun Seeds at anything chasing after us. We couldn't afford to even stop for a second to breath. We did this for the all the way to the fourteenth floor, where we finally stopped for a rest.

"I think I triggered a million traps back there" I panted as I tried to use a move. Nothing worked. I felt no energy in my arms or legs when I attempted to use Force Palm or Quick Attack "Yep, I stepped on four PP Traps back there"

"Ugh and I stepped on my fair share of Chestnut Traps" Priscilla picked at the bruises on her fur "Along with a couple Self-Destruct Traps and Explosion Traps"

"At least they held back the enemy Pokemon" I shrugged as I slowly tended to Priscilla's injuries, feeding her an Oran Berry to heal the torn pieces of flesh hanging on her skin.

"Thanks, but we can't afford to stay here any longer" Priscilla looked around cautiously "I think we're near the end. Let's go"

Suddenly, I heard groaning and a Gengar emerged from the wall nearby, with dark pits for eyes and blood running down them like rivers. His grin was creepier than usual, twisted far beyond normal Gengar levels and his teeth was layered with blood.

"M-more of them…" Priscilla whimpered and more bloody-eyed Gengars and ghosts appeared, surrounding us "Is this a m-monster house?"

"P-Priscilla…" I stuttered as I covered the Eevee with my body to shield her from the approaching mob of bloody ghosts "No matter what, we're escaping this"

"I know we are, but how?" the Eevee asked, shaking with fear "We're out of moves and the ghosts are surrounding us"

"Orbs" I took a Luminous Orb out of my treasure bag and shattered it on the ground, creating a powerful flash that blinded the surrounding Ghost types.

"Now run!" I cried and we rushed down the nearest hallway, tossing Sleep and Stun Seeds behind us to harry the approaching ghosts, which were starting to recover from their blindness and going through the walls to follow us.

"Come on! We're near the end!" I called before running face first into a Gengar, who had it's mouth wide open.

"AAAHHHH!!!" I screamed as the dark pools for eyes bore into me, the trails of blood running down its face getting onto my body. It looked like it could swallow me up in one gulp. I just stood there, paralyzed in fear as the corrupted Gengar opened its mouth to snap me in half.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" I heard Priscilla yell behind me as an Iron Thorn flew and impaled Gengar in the eye, who stumbled around, growling in anger.

"Come on! I found the stairs!" Priscilla cried as I recovered from my shock "Let's get out of here!"

I nodded as we burst out of the dungeon and into a cliffside overlooking the stockade in the distance.

"Look at this… you can see the lights of the stockade from here…" Priscilla murmured as she gazed down the cliffside "Silvin?"

"Yes Priscilla?"

"Dusknoir saved us more than once, you remember?" Priscilla mumbled "And taught us many things too. That's why… that's why I came to respect Dusknoir. But did Dusknoir really deceive us?"

"There's no avoiding it. He betrayed our trust" I said firmly "No matter how you look at it, he took us to the future, tried to kill us and is still sending the Sableye after us. He's not the hero everyone thinks he is"

"I know Silvin! I know!" Priscilla sobbed "I don't know who to trust anymore! Where can we go? Can we even go home? I just want to see our friends again! I just want everything to be normal!"

Priscilla collapsed on the ground, sobbing and I put a hand around her to comfort her. Eventually, she got up and cried on my shoulder.

"Why… Silvin? Why?" Priscilla demanded "Why did all of this have to happen?"

"... I don't know Priscilla. I don't know" I patted the Eevee's back as she sobbed into my chest "Just remember our vow. We WILL get back home, no matter what"

"I miss our friends. I miss the guild. I just miss the normal life we had before being dropped into this stupid nightmare!" Priscilla sobbed "And most of all… I'm scared Silvin. Scared that we can never make it back"

"I know. I'm scared too Priscilla" Truthfully told, I was terrified. But I had to be strong for Priscilla's sake "But I keep telling myself that we'll make it back home and that I can't cry. I have to protect you Priscilla, with everything I have"

"... I love you Silvin"

"What?"

"I… I love you Silvin. You're such a kind, strong leader and the first true friend I had. You do everything you can to protect me and I love that loyalty about you"

"... I don't think this place is the best place to confess, but…" I took a deep breath "I love you too Priscilla. I've always enjoyed your company and always admired your intelligence and bravery. I'm glad to have met you on that fateful day on the beach"

"Likewise" Priscilla smiled "But I have to tell you that the reason I feel so brave and courageous… is because of you"

"Me?"

"Didn't I tell you before? I feel more brave and courageous in your presence because that's the type of person you are" Priscilla poked my chest with her paw "You have a natural ability to inspire others. That is why you're such a good leader"

"Oh please now, stop dumping praise on me. I'm not THAT great"

"It's fact though"

"Alright, alright, let's get a move on" I gently let Priscilla off my chest and stared at the next cave entrance to the right "Let's go after Grovyle"

"Grovyle? Why?" Priscilla asked curiously.

"I want to ask him something. You know how he came to our world to steal the Time Gears?"

"Oh I see. You want to ask him if he knows the way to get back to the past" Priscilla looked at the ground with disappointment "But isn't… Grovyle a bad Pokemon? If we go back to the past with him, we're essentially allowing him to steal the Time Gears again"

"Does it look like we have a choice? Grovyle is our best bet at getting back to our world" I argued.

Priscilla sighed "My heart tells me I can never trust Grovyle. But my head says that it's our only choice"

Priscilla gazed down at the blinking lights of the stockade, the only light in the unending darkness "Okay… fine. Let's track down Grovyle and ask him how he got to the past. Let's go Silvin!"

"That's the Priscilla I like to see" I smiled and I made my way towards the ruin's entrance.

"Silvin… thank you" Priscilla said "You tried to pick me up when I was down and comforted me when I broke down. I don't know where you find that willpower"

"It's just my resolve to go home that keeps me intact" I admitted.

"Either way, I'm sorry you had to see that side of me twice today" Priscilla approached me with a warm smile "So I need to reward you"

"Huh?"

Before I could react, Priscilla's lips collided with mine as we held the kiss for a full minute. When the Eevee finally let go, I was gaping like a fish with a wild shade of blush on my face.

Priscilla looked at me with a amused expression "Now let's go. Grovyle won't wait forever"

"R-right…" I bit my tongue to hide my grin of pure joy as we organized our inventories in the nearby Kangaskhan Rock. Thankfully, our storage of the past wasn't tampered with somehow, so we could still pull extra Max Elixirs out from the rock's pocket dimension. With inventory preparation complete, we entered the Sealed Ruin.

"So… what are we going to tell the others when we get back?"

"That's the least of our worries at this point Silvin"

"Yeah, but they'll find out eventually"

"Of course they will. They are our friends, are they not?"

Meanwhile, Grovyle arrived at a clearing in the ruin. There was nothing on the ground aside from worn out pebbles and rocks.

"If I get through here, I should be at the forest" Grovyle murmured to himself "The Sableye are coming. There is no time to rest"

Grovyle turned behind him "That reminds me… I wonder how those two are doing. Have they eluded the Sableye?"

Grovyle shook his head in denial "Oh forget it! There's no time! I have to prioritize my own mission above all else and I vowed to do it, even if I have to make sacrifices! Time to go"

Grovyle took a step forward, before a voice bellowed out of nowhere.

"You there! STOP!"

"Huh? Who's there?" Grovyle got into battle stance, looking around cautiously, but there was no one.

"You INVADE this place without warning and disturb our slumber!" The voice continued "Then you try to leave without APOLOGY?!"

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Grovyle demanded.

"You DARE to anger us?!" The voice growled angrily "We expect you to pay for these insults! 108 times!"

"That's an oddly specific number…" Grovyle murmured to himself before raising his voice "Where are you?! Stop hiding and come out!"

"You ACCUSE us of hiding?!" The voice snarled "We do not HIDE! We are… we are here!"

Darkness fell over the clearing, blinding Grovyle in darkness.

"We are SPIRITOMB!" The voice declared "There is NO MERCY for those who transgress against us!"

Suddenly, a purple bolt flew from Spiritomb's body and hit Grovyle, paralyzing him instantly.

"Gah!" Grovyle yelped in pain before passing out, his vision turning into darkness, just like everywhere around him.

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 35_

 _Moves: Force Palm, Bite, Quick Attack and Focus Punch_

 _IQ Level: *_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 33_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: *_

 **And that was the second part of "In the Future". Dark Hill is the Battle Before Dawn for the Riolu/Eevee combo, which means it's hell for this combination. Especially the Drifloon and Drifblim. Seriously, how does PMD make the most random Pokemon virtually gods in gameplay like Kecleon and Drifblim? Guess we'll never know. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to give me constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time!**


	21. Chapter 20: Spirit Dance

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 20: Spirit Dance

Sealed Ruin thankfully had no Ghost types like Chasm Cave and Dark Hill did. Instead, it mostly had a mix of Grass, Steel, Poison and Dragon type Pokemon like Tangrowth, Forrestress, Shelgon and Metang. It wasn't as bad as Chasm Cave or Dark Hill, but not great either, seeing as my Fighting type moves weren't effective against anybody here.

"The murals and writing on the walls are creeping me out" Priscilla murmured as she brushed her hand across the dusty wall, revealing a layer of dried blood "All the murals are old and moldy while every message I see is written in blood"

"Do the messages have something in common?" I asked.

"Most of them said "HELP!" and "FREE US"" Priscilla replied with a shaky voice "A couple others said "BEWARE" and "GO AWAY""

"That's… ominous…" I mumbled "If not outright terrifying. I'm going to have to live with nightmares of this experience for the rest of my life"

"Same here" Priscilla sighed "I'm never going to forget this, no matter how hard I try…"

We continued on through the ruin, taking out Pokemon after Pokemon. The enemy Pokemon were a corrupt as ever, savagely attacking us while having the trademark bloody eyes, murderous grin and psychotic laugh. The first time we heard a Muk laugh like a psychopath behind us, Priscilla nearly screamed in terror, but I managed to silence her in time so we wouldn't give away our location.

"Under any circumstance, don't scream or talk loud" I hissed as I held my hand over the Eevee's mouth "All we can do is whisper. We don't want any more of those psychos after us, right?"

Priscilla nodded in understanding, poking my hand to silently ask me to let her go and I released her. Moving further into the ruins was met with a much higher amount of Pokemon. We found ourselves facing three Metang at once, which caused me to "die" by a Zen Headbutt. Thankfully, Priscilla revived me and we took the three Metang out.

"What's with all the Pokemon here?" I asked as I wiped the sweat off my forehead "There's more here on the upper floors than we've seen before"

Priscilla nervously glanced to the room beside her and gasped as a whole horde of enemy Pokemon fell from the ceiling for no reason at all.

"Silvin! Monster Houses are triggering all around us at random! We need to find the stairs before they overwhelm us!" Priscilla urged.

"What?! Can they even do that?!" I asked, shocked as the horde of Probopasses, Shelgons and Tangrowths began chasing us through the narrow hallways. I threw a Petrify Orb behind me to temporarily freeze the enemy Pokemon in place as I continued running. While I was running, I took a second to glance at the bloody writings on the walls, which were glowing red for some reason.

""FREE US", "GO AWAY", "DIE"" I read aloud as I continued dashing down the hallway alongside Priscilla "Hey Priscilla? Know why these writings are glowing red-"

I was interrupted when an intense pain overwhelmed my brain, bringing me to the ground instantly.

"Silvin!" Priscilla watched in horror as I, out of control, looked up at the glowing writings and murmuring them under my breath. Suddenly, I rose and slammed Priscilla to the ground with Force Palm.

"What the hell am I doing?!" I thought to myself, but my body wasn't in control. Did the writings possess me somehow?

"Silvin… what happened to…" Priscilla rose and glanced at the blood red writings on the wall, then saw a rosy aura around my body.

"The writings… someone imbued them with magic to possess anyone who reads them…" Priscilla murmured under her breath "But how… how do you break them out of…"

Without warning, I struck again, sending Priscilla to the wall with Quick Attack.

"Gah!" Priscilla groaned when she hit the ground again, struggling to get up "Silvin, stop doing this!"

"Free us… leave this place… die…" I muttered as I shuffled forward, fist glowing with the orange energy of Focus Punch. Mentally, I gasped in horror. There was absolutely no way Priscilla would survive a Focus Punch from me. What worried me the most is what the enemy Pokemon or I will do to Priscilla once she's down…

I couldn't think any longer as possessed me lunged forward, Focus Punch aimed at Priscilla's head. Before the fist connected however, the Eevee threw a Stun Seed into my face, paralyzing me to the marrow of my bones. The orange energy around my fist faded as I fell to the ground, struggling to move.

"Silvin… please wake up" Priscilla pleaded "I can't survive here without you. You're the only one who can protect me!"

"Free us… go away… die…" I murmured in response. God, I was getting tired of myself saying that already.

"Damn, no good" Priscilla grit her teeth "Come on Silvin! I know your spirit is stronger than that. Are you just going to let some stupid writing take over?!"

No response from me, just a little groaning as I struggled to move under the Stun Seed's effects.

Priscilla sighed "I knew that wasn't going to work. This isn't a fairy tale after all"

The Eevee brought out a Sleep Seed and threw it onto my chest, releasing a cloud of gas that put me to sleep instantly. Before I could close my eyes, I heard Priscilla murmur under her breath.

"Now I have to drag him through the dungeon. Gods above, I love him but why… why does this have to happen to us…" Priscilla sighed than gasp "The Monster House Pokemon! They are free from the Petrify Orb!

That was the last thing I heard before my possessed self closed its eyes. When I awoke at last, I found myself next to a Kangaskhan Rock with its head chopped off. Around us, intricate writing marked the walls, but none of them were glowing or written in blood thankfully.

"You're… awake…" Priscilla whispered "Are you… feeling better?"

I glanced at the Eevee and noticed a cluster of Stun and Sleep Seeds in her paw. She was planning to stun me and put me back to sleep if I was still possessed. Smart girl.

"Ugh, my head…" I reached up and rubbed my head "Just a minor headache, but I'm feeling better. Myself now"

"Oh thank goodness!" Priscilla dropped her seeds and hugged me tightly "I had to drag you through the rest of the dungeon myself. Do you know how nerve racking that was?"

"I could tell. I'm so sorry Priscilla" I patted the Eevee on the back of her head "Now I know better than to interact with anything in this world. Everything is so messed up"

"You know… I heard a story once" Priscilla told me "It was about a nefarious witch named Gardevoir who could possess the mind of anyone who reads her works. The same magic must of been used here"

"You mean she used imbued magic into the bloody writings to turn anyone who read them insane?"

"That seems to be the most likely conclusion"

"Ugh, I can't believe I was stupid enough to read them and turn against you" I muttered, then looked at Priscilla in the eye "Again, I'm so sorry that I attacked you. I wasn't in control of myself"

"... I know" the Eevee nodded sorrowfully "You're lucky that you didn't read more. The book I read said that if anybody read even a full page of Gardevoir's cursed words, their mind and body would be possessed by the witch forever"

"And how long has it been since I was possessed?"

"About half an hour"

"So five words were enough to completely take over my mind for half an hour" I said, amazed, then slumped "Now I'm starting to wonder about my mental resistance in general"

"I think the stronger your mind is, the more resistant you are to Gardevoir's curse" Priscilla noted "I managed seven words back there before something began creeping up in the back of my head. You weren't so lucky"

"I could only do five words and even then, I was still possessed" I grabbed my head in frustration "I'm still so ashamed that I hurt you Priscilla. I don't know how I can ever repay you"

Priscilla managed a weary smile "We can get to that once we're home. For now, stop apologizing. It's getting annoying"

"Yes mother"

"Anyways, can you walk?"

I gently pushed Priscilla off my chest and got up, loosening my arms and legs "There's nothing wrong with my body. I just have a minor headache. Probably a side effect from the curse"

"Okay, that's good" Priscilla got up and gathered her seeds "We should get moving then. I paralyzed a group of enemy Pokemon earlier with another Petrify Orb and they might start moving again soon. We need to head further in"

"Right behind you"

Deep Sealed Ruin was no different than Sealed Ruin before it. The enemy Pokemon were the same, the environment was just as creepy as the last and every Pokemon we saw wore the same trademark look that scared us witless.

"Look and read nothing on the walls" Priscilla ordered "I don't want to drag you through the dungeon this early"

"Of course. I'm the only one who can protect you, right?" I replied with a smirk.

Priscilla sighed "I wish I didn't say anything so corny…"

We continued on through the Deep Sealed Ruin until we reached an empty clearing. Dusty pebbles littered the ground and the entire place was poorly light by torches, which were frozen in time.

"Grovyle! Are you okay?" Priscilla and I rushed to Grovyle's side, but he cried out.

"You two! Stay b-back!"

"Huh? Why?" Priscilla asked, wide eyed in shock "You're on the ground, pulsing with purple electricity and you don't want us to help you?"

"An enemy lurks nearby. Stay alert!" Grovyle warned.

"An enemy? I don't see anything…" I said as I gazed around the dark, empty area "There's nobody here but you, me and Priscilla"

"The enemy is right… beside you Priscilla!" Grovyle groaned.

"Huh? This old rock?" Priscilla looked over it carefully "This can't possibly be the enemy that attacked you"

Then the rock shook, forcing Priscilla back with a yelp.

"Hee-hee… hee-hee" a voice laughed ominously "All those who TRESPASS upon this land will be punished! 108 times!"

"That's an oddly specific number…" I murmured.

"108 times… a voice coming from a rock…" Priscilla mumbled thoughtfully "Wait a minute… Spiritomb! Stop hiding and come out from your rock! We know it's you!"

"None shall be FORGIVEN! None!" the voice cackled as purple energy began forming around the old rock, forming a circular shape "Not least of all… YOU!"

"Who are you and what do you want with us?!" I demanded.

"Hee-hee… we are Spiritomb!" the energy collected itself to form a swirling mass of purple and yellow light, with green eyes and a sinister green "We are the manifestation of a fusion of spirits! A hundred and eight of them!"

"Be careful! This Pokemon is strong!" Grovyle warned.

"Hee-hee… prepare to serve your punishment!" Spiritomb laughed maniacally "I'll start with you two first. Die!"

Before Spiritomb could launch an attack though, Priscilla threw a Sleep Seed in his face and put him to sleep instantly. Then, Priscilla handed me a Violent Seed so I could whale on him with Bite, as Spiritomb was a dual Ghost-Dark type Pokemon. The typing also meant he has no weaknesses, so if we were different Pokemon, it wouldn't make any difference. As Spiritomb slept, I attacked him over and over again with Bite. The sleeping gas from a Sleep Seed is so strong that it takes several hours for the victim to wake up naturally from it. Unless the victim was hit with an overwhelmingly powerful move, they wouldn't even wake up if being attacked.

"Try to heal Grovyle while I'm doing this!" I called and the Eevee rushed to Grovyle's side with an Oran Berry. However, she couldn't even touch Grovyle thanks to the veil of purple electricity surrounding him. Anything that touched the electricity burned on contact.

"There has to be some way to get this electric pulse off you!" Priscilla growled in frustration.

"Don't worry about that right now. Help the Riolu fight Spiritomb!" Grovyle replied, irritated "He's starting to wake up now"

"Stun!" the Eevee threw a Stun Seed into Spiritomb's face just as he was waking up, buying me more time to whittle his health down. Finally, after like 20 Bite attacks, Spiritomb roared in defeat.

"UUGGGHGH… OOHHHH… ARRGGG…!" Spiritomb groaned loudly "OOOHH… ARRGG…! GAAHHHH!"

"Come on, I didn't hurt you that badly, did I?" I muttered "I mean, Groudon didn't roar that loud when I broke both his legs with Focus Punch and impaled him through the chest with Force Palm"

"UGGHGGHH…! GWAAHHH!" suddenly, the earth shook all around us.

"What the- What's happening?!" Priscilla cried in alarm, but just as suddenly, the shaking stopped and the purple mass of energy around Spiritomb returned to the rock he came from.

"Eep!" Spiritomb whimpered.

The purple electricity surrounding Grovyle wore away, absorbing itself back into Spiritomb's rock.

"Eep!" Spiritomb whimpered again "R-run away!"

And the rock dashed off somehow, back into the Sealed Ruin.

"W-what was that? What was that all about?" Priscilla murmured, then walked over to Grovyle "Are you okay? Can you get up now?"

"They got spooked and ran away. That's what happened" Grovyle groaned and got to his feet, dusting himself "That Spiritomb… it was clever. It ambushed and went up my nose, taking control of my body"

Priscilla shivered, probably remembering another incident of possession that happened earlier.

"So it was a bad Pokemon" I said flatly.

"No, that's not entirely true" Grovyle began "Spiritomb was probably angered that we trespassed it's space. It was frightening… that it became so angry that it lost control of itself"

"I've been seeing that in every Pokemon in this world as of late" I said "Every enemy Pokemon we see seems to be corrupted by the darkness here. Not only that, there were cursed words in the Sealed Ruin that drove people insane"

Grovyle bit his lip "Yes, that mostly happens to Pokemon here in the future. Normally, Spiritomb is a timid Pokemon. You saw that when the situation turned sour and it fled. A lot of Pokemon used to be docile and timid before all of this happened"

"So are you saying that the planet's paralysis warped their personality too?" Priscilla asked.

"That's what it seems. Can you imagine looking up and staring into a dark sky for the rest of your life? That's enough to turn anybody's spirit dark" Grovyle said gravely "As such, many Pokemon became obsessed with self preservation. They became more savage and bloodthirsty as a result, completely driven by the will to survive"

"That's… horrible…" Priscilla murmured, staring at the ground with a somber look "Pokemon who were chosen by fate to be good turned evil because of the darkness... "

"Now will you finally trust me?" Grovyle asked, shocking us both "You saw the horror that was inside the last couple dungeons for yourself. You know how merciless the enemy Pokemon are. Teaming up will be the best option for our survival"

"I uhh… somewhat trust you?" Priscilla looked at Grovyle with a confused look "I mean, I don't completely trust you, but…"

"Hmph, I told you before and I'll tell you again" Grovyle turned his back on us "There's no point in continuing together if there's no trust between us. I'm leaving"

"Wait Grovyle!" Priscilla cried, stopping the outlaw in his tracks "I didn't say that I didn't believe you. Trust me, you're right on everything before. We saw the terror in Chasm Cave, Dark Hill and Sealed Ruin for ourselves. Everything feels like it came out of a nightmare!"

"That wouldn't be far off…" Grovyle murmured.

"That being said, teaming up to survive would be a great idea" Priscilla continued "But… how can I trust you after you tried to destroy our world in the past?"

"Hmph. Look at how that turned out" Grovyle gestured to all around him "My plan was stopped in the past and look at this! Everything is still frozen in time!"

Grovyle looked at Priscilla in the eye with seething anger "You seem to care about the Riolu kid and trust his word. So why not trust his word now when he urged you to go with the most logical conclusion?!"

"Don't change the topic! You tried to bring ruin to our world in the past and that's why I can't trust you!"

"So what if I tried to go through with my plan?! The world would of come to this anyways!"

"What, so you were trying to speed it up?!"

"You don't understand!"

"And you're not telling us!"

"EVERYONE STOP!" I yelled, silencing both Grovyle and Priscilla. I took a deep breath and approached both Pokemon "Look Priscilla. Going with Grovyle is our best chance of survival. It doesn't matter if he's untrustworthy or not because he's the only way out of here. If we travel with him, we will know why he came to our world in the first place, how he got there and other questions you want to ask. So please, let's travel with him and at least get more information"

"But what if everything I say is a pack of lies?" Grovyle dared.

Priscilla sighed "It's all right. I won't take everything at face value right now, but… I'm desperate for answers. Anything"

"Well… fine" Grovyle crossed his arms "Follow me"

Hours later, we found ourselves in an indention of a mountain to hide ourselves from the Sableye.

"Good, we should be safe for now" Grovyle checked behind him, then turned to us "The Sableye won't be able to spot us easily from here"

"So tell us Grovyle…" Priscilla began "In the future… why did the planet's paralysis take place?"

"The cause of the planet's paralysis… dates back to your time. The world of the past" Grovyle explained "The planet's paralysis began with the collapse of Temporal Tower, which is governed by Dialga"

"Dialga… you mentioned Dusknoir working for him back in Crystal Lake" I recalled "But who is Dialga?"

"Dialga is a legendary Pokemon that controls time" Grovyle answered "Dialga ensured the proper flow of time from Temporal Tower"

"If Dialga is that powerful, then what could of possibly toppled his domain?" Priscilla asked.

"No one knows. Anyways, when Temporal Tower collapsed, time began going out of control too" Grovyle continued "And eventually, the planet fell into paralysis"

"What happened to Dialga?" I asked.

"When time got out of control, Dialga did as well" Grovyle replied "Now here in your future, the planet is fully paralyzed. Thus, Dialga has lost all reason and is now governed by darkness. Some dare to call him… Primal Dialga"

"... Primal Dialga?"

"Yes, Dialga has transformed into Primal Dialga, a primordial presence" Grovyle said gravely "He seeks only self preservation and destroys anyone who attempts to change history. That's why Dialga wants me dead. Because I tried to change history. I tried to stop the planet's paralysis"

"If that's the case, then why were you stealing the Time Gears in the world of the past?" I asked, crossing my arms "Wouldn't that just speed up the planet's paralysis?"

"That's what the common Pokemon would assume, but no. My plan was this" Grovyle cleared his throat "I didn't steal the Time Gears from your world. I was collecting them because they were needed to prevent the planet's paralysis"

"How so?"

"I needed to take them to Temporal Tower and put them in place" Grovyle continued "Doing so will reverse the collapse of Temporal Tower and thus, prevent the planet's paralysis"

"But wouldn't the areas without their Time Gears still be frozen?" Priscilla asked.

"Yes, that's what would happen" Grovyle nodded "However, it's only temporary. Once the Time Gears were set in Temporal Tower, time would be restored to normal everywhere"

"So what about all the things Dusknoir said about you?" Priscilla frowned "I mean, I don't believe him NOW, but he said you were a wanted outlaw in the future"

"That's true. I'm wanted because I'm trying to change history" Grovyle replied simply "Putting it simply, Dusknoir is not a Pokemon sent to the past to rescue your world from me. Rather, he was sent as an agent by Primal Dialga to kill me and prevent anyone else from altering history"

"So it was a lie all along" I crossed my arms and squeezed my bicep "Dusknoir said he was a Pokemon sent to the past to arrest you. But in reality, he was sent by Primal Dialga to kill you"

"That's correct"

"So everything he did… was to gain our trust?" Priscilla said slowly "All the things he taught us, all the times he rescued us… are you saying it was all a facade?"

"That's what it sounds like"

"Ugh. I WOULD confront Dusknoir about all of this, but that's just suicidal" Priscilla sighed, stamping the ground with her paw "What are you going to do now Grovyle?"

"I'm going back to the past to prevent the planet's paralysis" Grovyle said firmly "To do that, I need to find my friend, Celebi"

"Celebi…?"

"That's right. You can come with me or not. Your choice" Grovyle replied "You two decide on your own course of action. I'm off"

"Silvin… what should we do?" Priscilla asked, fear clear in her voice.

"I don't know. The only thing that's clear is that the planet's paralyzed" I clasped my hands together "And that the only way to prevent it is to go back to the past and place all the Time Gears on Temporal Tower"

"... But all of it could of been a lie" Priscilla murmured "I don't know who to trust anymore except you Silvin. I don't know what to believe to be true or false"

"I know Priscilla. Me too" I nodded solemnly "But I think following Grovyle to meet with Celebi is the best plan to get back home"

"Of course. There's no other option than that at the moment" Priscilla sighed "Alright then, it's settled. We're following Grovyle back to the past. If everything turns out to be a lie and Grovyle's plan speeds up the planet's paralysis, then we'll be the ones to stop him"

"Agreed" I smiled "Come on. We need to catch up"

Meanwhile back at the ruined Temporal Tower, Dusknoir waited at the edge of darkness, awaiting Primal Dialga to appear.

"GGRRRRR…." Dialga growled, his red eyes and orange outlines flashing in the dark.

"Master Dialga. The stage has been set for the capture of the escapees" Dusknoir reported "When the time comes, it may be necessary for us to beg for your help, Master Dialga"

"GRRRR…" Dialga replied.

"... As you wish" Dusknoir bowed "By your leave, we shall proceed"

Primal Dialga's red eyes and orange light faded into the gloom, leaving Dusknoir alone as darkness covered the ruined pinnacle of Temporal Tower again.

"Grovyle… you are far too predictable" Dusknoir murmured to himself "Running back to Dusk Forest to return to the past… do you know how easy it is to set up an ambush there? Not only that, we can capture your little friend, Celebi too. You're doomed Grovyle and Silvin. There's nothing you can do to change fate…"

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 38_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Quick Attack and Bite_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 35_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **And that was the third "In the Future" chapter, covering Sealed Ruin and the Spiritomb battle. Sealed Ruin is a much needed break from the hell that was Dark Hill, especially since there aren't any Dusclops with Pressure or Ghosts with Spite draining your PP. The Spiritomb fight is fairly tough at first glance, since Spiritomb has no weaknesses, but putting him to sleep with a Sleep Seed and nailing him with attacks like Charge + Spark on Shinx can bring him down with not too much effort. Up next is Dusk Forest and Deep Dusk Forest. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of a new chapter and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	22. Chapter 21: Lights in the Dark

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 21: Lights in the Dark

As we approached Dusk Forest, I felt a strange sensation. I remember it back when me and Priscilla travelled to Foggy Forest for the first time. It was like… I knew this place somehow.

"Something the matter? You have a distraught look on your face" Priscilla noticed, poking me in the arm.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing" I shrugged "It's just a weird feeling I'm having. I feel like I've been here before"

"You've been here before…? How is that possible?" Priscilla tilted her head "This is the future. You can't possibly know this place"

"I know and that's what eating away at me" I nodded "I felt this same feeling back at Foggy Forest. Perhaps Dusk Forest is Foggy Forest in the future?"

"That wouldn't be a bad theory" Grovyle said in front of us "Thanks to the planet being paralyzed, many environments have changed as a result. Blizzard Island down south has changed to Frozen Island for example, with all the Pokemon there being much more savage and merciless"

"The planet's paralysis caused Pokemon behavior, the environment and even gods to change" Priscilla murmured, brushing the frozen dirt with her paw "Truly, it is the end of the world"

"If there's one thing Dusknoir lied about that's right, it's that the planet's paralysis is the end of the world" Grovyle agreed "Anyways, we've arrived. Welcome to Dusk Forest"

"Why is it called that?" Priscilla asked.

"Because of the perpetually dark fog shrouds the forest" Grovyle said gravely "Folklore say that the dark fog corrupt the mind and turn Pokemon insane. Perhaps that's why the enemy Pokemon here are so aggressive"

Priscilla shivered "I'd rather not go through another insanity episode, thank you. Is the folklore legend true?"

Grovyle shrugged "Who knows? I've been here dozens of times and the fog has never taken me. The main thing is that deep in this forest, we should find Celebi"

"You mentioned her before but…" Priscilla tilted her head "Who is Celebi?"

"Celebi is the legendary Time Travel Pokemon" Grovyle explained "She has the ability to cross time. But she's… well… a little odd…"

"Odd you say? How so?" I asked.

"That isn't important. The main point is that Celebi's ability enabled me to go to the past" Grovyle said.

"So does that mean if we find Celebi, we can go back to our world?" Priscilla asked excitingly.

"Yes, we can go back" Grovyle nodded "But since Celebi is allowing me to go back to the past, she has lent her support in reshaping history. Therefore, Dialga is after her too and wants her dead"

"We have no time to waste then. Celebi is our only chance to get home" I said firmly.

"That's right. So get ready quickly and let's move. We have to find Celebi" Grovyle went over to a nearby Kangaskhan Rock and began to organize his inventory. Despite the statue being defiled by graffiti and having its head cut off, the pocket dimension still works strangely. We sorted out our treasure bags and took off into Dusk Forest.

"Hey Grovyle. I have a question" Priscilla said.

"Hm?"

"If the three of us return to the past, will you steal the Time Gears like you did before?" the Eevee asked.

Grovyle stiffened "Yes. I will do it again and again until I can deliver all five to Temporal Tower and prevent the planet's paralysis"

"To be completely honest, I don't fully trust you yet Grovyle" Priscilla replied in a low voice "When we return to our world, I will investigate whether or not you were really stealing the Time Gears to prevent the apocalypse"

"Hah. And what will you do if I'm lying?" Grovyle dared.

"Then… I'll stop you" Priscilla said with a hard edged stare "Even if you're stronger than me by a large degree, I won't sit idly and watch you tear the world to pieces"

"Hmph, a noble spirit, aren't you?" Grovyle stared at the ground "But what's important now is returning back to the world of the past. The truth of my case is the least of your worries"

"Of course. I have important priorities at heart after all" the Eevee smirked "Let's go find Celebi"

"That's the best thing I've heard from you so far"

As we headed into the forest however, a Sableye revealed itself from a tree behind us.

"Wheh-heh-heh" the Sableye cackled before slowly following us through the forest.

Dusk Forest was a simple dungeon. There was a very low variety of enemy Pokemon, being only Jumpluff, Mothim, Mismagius and Gabite. It hurt to attack the Mismagius, since Sara was one and she was very motherly towards us. Regardless, like the Riolu in Crystal Crossing, we had to kill them anyways. Grovyle was an extremely strong combatant, with an excellent moveset containing Leaf Blade, Dig, Absorb and Quick Attack. Anything Grovyle turned his eyes on died.

"You know Grovyle, I was wondering" I said as I pushed a Gabite back with Force Palm "Did anybody train you? Because you're killing everything in your path like its nothing"

"My father was my teacher" Grovyle answered "I come from a family of- Watch your left!"

"Huh?" I darted backwards as a Gabite nearly took my arm off with Dragon Claw. I blasted it into a wall with Focus Punch before it could continue its assault.

"Thanks for the warning" I said to Grovyle.

"Always be alert of your surroundings. Never be distracted" Grovyle replied "But as I was saying: I come from a family of explorers. My father, Sceptile was a top tier explorer and a masterful fighter. He taught me everything I know about fighting"

"What happened to him?" Priscilla asked.

"He was… murdered by an agent sent by Dialga" Grovyle stared at the ground and glared "You see, my father was one of the first to notice the signs of the planet's paralysis. He spent years trying to find a way to travel back in time, but Dialga caught wind of it. He sent an agent to assassinate my father to prevent the alteration of history"

"But he succeeded, didn't he?" Priscilla looked up to Grovyle with a gentle smile "He found a way to travel back in time in the form of Celebi. His effort didn't end in failure"

"Actually, my father accomplished nothing when it came to finding a way to go back in time" Grovyle bit his lip "I just happened to meet Celebi shortly after my father's death. Celebi told me of the planet's paralysis and I decided to continue my dad's legacy to prevent apocalypse"

"Why are you telling us all of this? You know we're still technically your enemies if we deduce you're lying" I said, interrupting the conversation.

Grovyle shrugged "What harm is there to telling you? You can't use my past against me and the story does nothing but strengthen my reasoning for stealing the Time Gears"

"True…" I bit a Mismagius, causing it to scream and fade into darkness "Continue then. It's interesting"

"That's all I'm willing to share for now" Grovyle swiftly cut down a Mothim in four strokes of Leaf Blade "Concentrate ahead. A mystery dungeon is hardly the place to share a story"

We continued on through Dusk Forest, cutting though the sixth, seventh and eighth floor with ease. We arrived at a clearing, marked the "Black Swamp" according to Grovyle.

"Is this where we're supposed to meet Celebi?" Priscilla asked.

"That's right. This is where I met her the last time" Grovyle answered, turning to face Priscilla "But if Primal Dialga knows if this place, Celebi may have fled already. If not, she would still be around here"

"Hello? Celebi?!" Grovyle's voice echoed through the frozen forest "It's me! Grovyle! Reveal yourself… if you're here!"

Dead silence.

"She's… not coming out" Priscilla mumbled nervously "Was she frightened off by Primal Dialga? Did the Sableye capture her somehow?"

"Captured?"

"Huh? Where did that voice come from?" I looked around the grey forest for the source of the voice, but I saw nobody.

"Now it's gone" Priscilla's eyes darted around the trees "Was I just hearing things?"

"Tee-hee! You didn't imagine it!" the voice giggled "Me? Captured? How insulting! Captured?! Impossible, that's for sure! Tee-hee!"

"Well, you're certainly boastful" I noted "But where are you?"

"Right… behind you!"

I whipped behind me, but nobody was there. Instead, a small ball of white light formed in front of Grovyle and took the shape of a small, pink Pokemon with green eyes and a mischievous smile.

"It has been too long, my dear Grovyle!" Celebi greeted "And you are so easy to trick Riolu!"

"You can't blame me. I'm cautious about ANYTHING here" I muttered "But anyhow, hello Celebi. Pleasure to meet you"

"It's been a long time Celebi" Grovyle greeted back.

"What? This tiny thing is Celebi?" Priscilla asked, shocked "You told me she was a legendary Pokemon! I expected something… bigger"

"Now that it downright rude!" Celebi snapped at Priscilla, irritated "How inappropriate to poke fun at my petite proportions! Look who's talking!"

"Uhm… I'm sorry" Priscilla apologized "It's just that Grovyle told me you could cross time. I expected an awe-inspiring Pokemon or something"

"How uncouth! Never judge someone by appearance!" Celebi growled "Why, I think I could send you back a few years and make you a baby again, judging by YOUR attitude!"

"Umm… please don't"

"I won't. I forgive you" Celebi said cheerfully "After all, you must find me cuter and more special than you imagined! Tee-hee!"

"You weren't wrong when Grovyle said you were "odd"" I muttered.

"Celebi, I need your help again" Grovyle said, taking a step closer towards the legendary Pokemon.

"I know" Celebi nodded grimly "Seeing you back here, my dear Grovyle, tells me everything I need to know. You failed your mission again, did you?"

"Urk… yes..." Grovyle hung his head in shame.

"I hope you manage this time. I had quite enough of this" Celebi said gently, cupping her hand under Grovyle's face to lift it up "Living in this dark and dreary world is so depressing"

"Sorry, but we have no time to chat" Grovyle said firmly "The Sableye are tracking us and if we don't move soon, we'll be bringing trouble to you"

"Tee-hee! It's quite fine. There's no need to be worried" Celebi grinned reassuringly "Let those Sableye come. They are of no concern to me"

"You're taking this entire situation awfully calm…" I murmured.

"Besides, if you were to be so kind as to prevent the planet's paralysis…" Celebi began "We'll finally be spared of the agony that is this world of darkness. My dear Grovyle, I will devote my whole life to achieving that end!"

"Alright. Where is the Passage of Time?" Grovyle asked.

"It's nearby and ready" Celebi nodded, letting go of Grovyle's face "The Passage of Time is on a plateau above this forest"

"That's good. Are you willing to guide us there?" Grovyle questioned.

"Yes!" Celebi grinned with excitement "Are all three of you taking the Passage of Time?"

"Yep, that's right" Grovyle answered.

Then Celebi turned to me with a look of shock "Oh?! What's this? Your lost friend Grovyle!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" I asked.

"... No. No, it can't be…" Celebi murmured under her breath.

Grovyle looked between us like it was a tennis match "Is something the matter Celebi?"

"No, it's nothing" Celebi lied, then looked all of us over "Anyway, shall we go? Off to the Passage of Time!"

As we were walking, Priscilla hopped up next to Grovyle.

"Hey Grovyle. What's the Passage of Time?" the Eevee asked.

"The Passage of Time is a portal Celebi uses to travel through time" Grovyle explained "It's a secret corridor that spans dimensions, so to speak"

"But if Celebi's the time travel Pokemon… why would she need a special passage to travel through time?" Priscilla tilted her head in curiosity.

"Celebi's time travelling powers are far weaker than Dialga's. On her own, she can accelerate or reverse a few hours at most" Grovyle stared at the little pink legendary floating in front of us.

"Let me explain my own powers, my dear Grovyle" Celebi gave Grovyle a sweet smile, then turned to Priscilla "On my own, I can travel through time all by myself. But for big trips that span many generations, I must use the Passage of Time"

"So if we use the Passage of Time…"

"You'll be able to return to your own time, yes" Grovyle answered.

"Oh! I see it!" Celebi led us towards the entrance of a plateau, signified by a natural staircase that led up "There's the entrance that leads up to the plateau. The Passage of Time is way up there"

"Good. We'll leave once we're ready" Grovyle gestured to the Kangaskhan Rock beside us and began to organize his own inventory. While he was doing that, Priscilla decided to talk to Celebi for a little bit.

"Oh! Hello there!" Celebi greeted cheerfully "You're that Eevee girl. What's your name?"

"Priscilla. Nice to meet you Celebi" Priscilla smiled at the legendary "I'm sorry for judging you by your appearance. You're actually a really nice Pokemon"

"Aww, thank you!" Celebi gushed "But just a little secret I want to share. Did you know Grovyle is really hasty and impatient?"

"I could tell" Priscilla replied politely. Celebi was definitely into Grovyle. It was easy to tell Celebi liked him more than as a friend.

"I know that he wants to hurry, but I do wish that he slows down a little…" Celebi stared at the dark sky distantly "It would sure make me happier if he did. I want to spend as much time as I can with him…"

"I can tell already that you have a crush on him" Priscilla guessed.

Celebi's face went a red as a tomato with blush "Uh… Oh! That's not how I meant it! Not at all! I don't have any special feelings for him or anything!"

"Sure" Priscilla smirked "Looks like Grovyle and Riolu are done preparing. Are you ready to go?"

"Of course" Celebi nodded with a smile.

"Good, looks like we're all ready" Grovyle looked over all of us "Our goal is the Passage of Time atop this plateau. Let's go"

Deep Dusk Forest was much different than Dusk Forest. For one, many of the enemy Pokemon were Rock and Steel type, making the place a joyride for me and my Fighting type moves. There was the odd Vulpix and Leafeon here and there, along with the Hippowdon summoning sandstorms in a world where nothing moves. How does that work?!

"How the hell does Hippowdon and Steelix summon a freaking sandstorm in a world that doesn't move?!" I grit my teeth in irritation as the sandstorm bombarded us from all sides "That's some straight up physic defiance"

"I guess it's something we'll never know" Celebi summoned a white bell that rang with a soothing tone using Heal Bell. It healed the poison contracted through my legs thanks to a Poison Dart Trap "Somehow in this twisted world, Hippowdons summon sandstorms and pigs fly"

"In that case, I had enough of this weather" I dug a Drought Orb out of my bag and shattered it on the ground, causing the sandstorm to fade and a bright, artificial light to shine throughout the entire floor.

"Ahh, it's been a while since I saw any light!" Celebi spun in a circle joyfully "Even if it's not the real sun, it's nice seeing ANY kind of sunlight now"

"How long has it been since the planet's been paralyzed?" Priscilla asked.

Celebi tilted her head "I actually don't know. Felt like a century"

"You've done so much time jumping that your perception of time is warped" Grovyle joked slightly "I think it's only been a decade or so"

"A decade?! You've been trying to steal the Time Gears for ten years?!" I asked, flabbergasted.

Grovyle stared into the dark sky with a mildly confused look "I think so. Time doesn't move here, so I can't exactly tell how long I've been doing this"

"So your perception of time is wrong too" Celebi giggled "At least I'm not the only one!"

The dungeon was easy mostly because Grovyle and Celebi were with us. Grovyle was explained earlier, but Celebi was a legendary Pokemon with neat support moves like Heal Bell and Recover. She was no slouch offensively either, with Magical Leaf and Ancient Power. Occasionally, Ancient Power sped up Celebi and made her Magical Leaf stronger too.

"Ooh, I always love how the leaves here turn from green to brown!" Celebi grinned as we passed into the seventh floor. She was right. The leaves in the Deep Dusk Forest transitioned from a standard dark green to golden brown. They must of been changing colour before the entire world became frozen.

"It's beautiful…" Priscilla marvelled.

"A rare sight in this dark world" Grovyle agreed "When time has stopped everywhere, it's hard to find any natural beauty"

"Stop being so negative and enjoy the sight Grovyle!" Celebi scowled playfully "You're too serious sometimes"

"It's hard to not be serious when I'm trying to save the world" Grovyle muttered.

Not too long later, we passed the twelfth floor and Celebi perked up.

"Oh! I see it now!" Celebi piped there "There it is!"

Up ahead, a glittering blue portal glowed in the gray, dark world. The portal pulsed with light blue flames, as if it was eternally lit on fire.

"Is that… the Passage of Time?" Priscilla asked slowly.

"That's right. It's the Passage of Time" Grovyle answered "I used it to go back to the past in well… the past"

"Celebi, only you can activate the Passage of Time" Grovyle turned to the smaller legendary "Do your thing"

"Your wish is my command!" Celebi said playfully before a sharp voice bellowed in front of us.

"Stop right there. That will do for now"

"That voice… it can't be…" Grovyle glared in front of us "Dusknoir!"

Dusknoir's form melted into existence from the shadows "Hello to you all. It's been a while"

"Don't fake that politeness with us. We know you're the one who lied to us" I said sharply.

"Your scurrying carried you far. I'm quite surprised" Dusknoir approached us with no signs of hostility "But sad to say that it's all over now"

As we backed away, six Sableye appeared and surrounded us, completely cutting us off from the Passage of Time.

"Hmph. That's crafty Dusknoir" Grovyle said with grudging admiration "You allowed us to roam free, but you kept an eye on us the whole time. All this to capture Celebi as well as us"

"So that means we were followed the whole time…" Priscilla stamped her paw onto the ground in anger "Damn it! Why didn't I notice this?!"

"I didn't see it coming either" Grovyle grit his teeth "But it's just Dusknoir and the Sableye. We can break through them and make it to the Passage of Time"

Grovyle then turned to Celebi "I'm sorry we had to put you through this"

"Oh, apologies don't suit you, my dear Grovyle" Celebi waved it off "And do you honestly think I can be captured by these interlopers? Tee-hee!"

As the Sableye itched closer, all four of us stood back to back in a circle, ready to fight.

"Everyone! Are you ready to fight?" Grovyle called.

"Of course!" Priscilla said with a strong voice.

"I was born ready" I nodded.

"Good because we're going to power our way through and charge into the Passage of Time" Grovyle instructed "Understood?"

"Got it" Priscilla nodded.

"Ha, so you'll resist?" Dusknoir's fist pulsed with dark energy "Spare yourself the effort. You have no chance of succeeding"

The Sableye approached closer, their claws gleaming.

"We won't know until we try" Grovyle turned to Dusknoir with an intense glare "Dusknoir! You and me! Now!"

"Grovyle, are you really such a fool to think I would come alone?" Dusknoir asked with a menacing tone.

"What? So you consider you and your Sableye as "alone"?" I spread my hands "What allies could you possibly have to consider not being "alone"?"

"I have THIS as an ally" Dusknoir turned around "Now Master Dialga!"

"D-Dialga?!" Grovyle's eyes went wide with shock as darkness flickered over the area, blanketing us in darkness.

"GRRROOOO!" a loud, godlike roar echoed above us. Red eyes flickered to life atop the plateau and the darkness faded, revealing a dark blue Pokemon covered in gray armor. A red gem glowed on the center of the Pokemon's armor and orange outlines flowed like magma on its skin. I could feel the absolute, primorial power radiating from Dialga even from here.

"GRRROOOOO!" Dialga roared again, shaking the ground around us.

"That's… that's…!" I've never saw Grovyle so fearful and unnerved before "That's… Primal Dialga!"

"What's wrong Grovyle? Where's your bravado now?!" Dusknoir taunted before laughing maniacally.

"Urk…" Grovyle grit his teeth, clearly struggling to think of a escape plan out of this.

"My dear Grovyle…" Celebi murmured, looking at Grovyle as if this was the last time she'll see him.

"Damn… this… this is it for us…" Grovyle slumped in defeat, which caused Dusknoir to laugh even harder.

"What? You're giving up Grovyle?!" Priscilla jaw dropped at the revelation "I thought we were going to fight!"

"It's hopeless! Dusknoir on his own is one thing…" Grovyle punched the ground in anger "But there's no way we can win against Dialga. You two held up so well. I'm sorry to have let you down, but this is where is all ends…"

"Grovyle, you are never one to give up so easily!" Celebi scowled "You swore your life to liberate this dark future. Now keep your damn word!"

"No, nothing is going to change fate" Grovyle step forward "I surrender Dusknoir. Do with me… as you will"

"Grovyle!" Celebi cried in surprise and distress.

"What's wrong Grovyle?" Dusknoir taunted "It's not like you to give up so easily. Even Celebi pointed that out!"

"Yes, I am giving up" Grovyle said firmly "But… hope is still alive"

Grovyle turned to Celebi "Celebi, you remember. The last time I travelled through time to prevent the planet's paralysis… I wasn't alone. There was another. The "lost friend" you mentioned Celebi"

"What?! You didn't come to our world alone?" Priscilla asked, shocked.

"That's right. I had a partner" Grovyle turned back to us "We travelled to the past together. But on the way through the Passage of Time, disaster struck and we were separated"

"... What happened to your partner?" I asked.

"He should still be in the world of the past" Grovyle nodded "Even if I were to die, he would still see our mission through till the end. My partner WILL prevent the planet's end"

"..." Dusknoir looked at the ground with a dark smile "Ha… ha ha ha! Hoo ha ha! AHHAHAHAHAHA!"

"What's so funny?!" Grovyle snapped at Dusknoir.

"So you claim someone went to the past with you…" Dusknoir looked like he was trying to contain his insane laughter "Incidentally, what was the name of your partner? Go on, say the name"

"Why ask such a thing?" Grovyle said in a low voice.

"Can't tell me?" Dusknoir taunted.

"No, that's not true" Grovyle took a deep breath "The partner who traveled with me to the past was named…"

Dead silence

"... Silvin"

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 39_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 37_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Grovyle_

 _Level 46_

 _Moves: Leaf Blade, Absorb, Dig and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ****_

 _\- Celebi_

 _Level 45_

 _Moves: Magical Leaf, Ancient Power, Recover and Heal Bell_

 _IQ Level: ****_

 **Oh boy, looks like we're nearing the end of the "In the Future" arc. Dusk Forest and Deep Dusk Forest are much easier than it seems thanks to the fact Grovyle and then Celebi are accompanying you through. The part about the Sandstorm Hippowdon is a poke at how the Hippowdon in Dusk Forest can summon sandstorms in a world where nothing moves. Celebi's a shiny, so that's why she's described as having a "pink body". Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	23. Chapter 22: Opponents of Destiny

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 22: Opponents of Destiny

"His name was Silvin" Grovyle said slowly "He was my… best friend"

"What?! But how could- But his-" Priscilla couldn't form proper sentences and just pointed to me "But his name is Silvin!"

"What?! You're… Silvin?" Grovyle stared at me long and hard "But that's impossible. Silvin was human!"

"Hoo-hoo-ha! Precisely!" Dusknoir laughed, then pointed to me "My good fellow! Grovyle, that is unmistakably your friend, Silvin!"

"What?!" Grovyle turned back to me with a look of absolute shock.

"That Pokemon you see was once a human!" Dusknoir continued.

"No! You lie Dusknoir!" Grovyle snapped "This can't possibly be the real Silvin!"

"I do not lie. Master Dialga has given me a mission" Dusknoir gestured to Dialga, who was patiently waiting atop the mountain above us this whole time despite wanting to kill us "It was to kill both Silvin and Grovyle because they fled to past. I pursued both of you through time to stop you"

"I agree with Grovyle. You're FAR too loyal to Dialga" I jabbed at Dusknoir. I was still in shock that Grovyle might of been my partner in the past, but right now, it was good to look and talk confident.

"In the past, I gathered intelligence that might help me find you" Dusknoir continued "Then I met Team Skylar. At the time, I suspected nothing"

"But then…" Priscilla said nervously.

"They mentioned the Dimensional Scream" Dusknoir looked at me and Priscilla with a look of dark amusement "I was skeptical at first. But then, the good lady Priscilla served the last puzzle piece on a silver platter to me"

"No… I couldn't possibly…" Priscilla held her hand in agony "No! I told you Silvin remembers being human at the beach! Damn it all!"

"You told me Silvin had no memories of the past either, with only a clear memory of his name and being human" Dusknoir smirked in Priscilla's direction "Thanks to that, I pieced together everything. A former human with no memories that has the Dimensional Scream ability. There was no doubt about it. This Riolu is Silvin, also known as Grovyle's partner!"

"No! That's not possible!" Grovyle shouted.

"Ha ha ha! You realize the situation you're in?" Dusknoir laughed "You lost! Both you and Silvin are trapped between the Sableye, me and Master Dialga himself! Give up! Your precious "hope" is LOST!"

"No… No!" Grovyle slammed his arm on the ground in anger "This can't be happening!"

"Now you two come quietly and surrender yourself to death" Dusknoir ordered "Or else, I'll ask Master Dialga to DESTROY both Celebi and Priscilla from existence. Both Pokemon you two care for very much!"

"Shut up! Don't you dare threaten Silvin!" Priscilla yelled.

"Ha ha ha! Have you finally come to terms with your fate?" Dusknoir stared at me and Grovyle's slumps in defeat with triumph "Give up! With both of you here… we can finally put an end to Grovyle's worthless glimmer of hope!"

"Silvin! Grovyle! Celebi!" Priscilla cried with determination "We can't give up now! There must be a way out of this!"

"Wheh-heh-heh!" the Sableye cackled with excitement and approached closer, forcing us to huddle up even tighter.

"Gah… you say not to give up…?" Grovyle said weakly "But what can we possibly do in this hopeless situation?"

"We have to think!" Priscilla watched as the Sableye surrounding us came closer, their claws ready to Fury Swipe us to shreds "I know! Celebi, can you time travel us a short distance towards the Passage of Time? We can bypass Dusknoir and make a break towards the portal!"

"I won't be easy with Dialga here!" Celebi protested "Dialga is the Temporal Pokemon. He controls time itself! It'll be extremely easy for him to disrupt my time travel and break us back into reality!"

"It just has to work for an instant! Please!" Priscilla begged as the Sableye drew closer. One of them took a test shot at Grovyle and Grovyle retaliated with a sharp hiss, drawing a small cut on Sableye's chest.

"Attack!" Dusknoir commanded.

"Wheh-heh-heh!" the Sableye unsheathed their claws. We were seconds away from being torn to ribbons.

"Time to travel!" Celebi called and a bright white light enveloped all of us, making us disappear into the time stream.

"Wheh-heh?" the Sableye looked around in confusion.

"They vanished?!" Dusknoir turned behind him "Master Dialga! Now!"

"GRROROOOO!" Dialga roared as the red gem in his center began pulsing with violent red light. Dialga roared, sending a red shockwave rocketing throughout the entire forest. Once the shockwave hit, I felt something smashing me out of the dimension with a battering ram. We returned to reality in front of the Passage of Time, completely exposed.

"Our time travel path was broken!" Priscilla cried in alarm.

"That doesn't matter! We're in front of the Passage of Time now!" I snapped "Come on! LET'S GO!"

"Celebi! Come on!" Priscilla yelled.

"Don't fret about me! Save yourselves!" Celebi cried "I told you I can't be caught! Stop the planet's paralysis and change history! Now go!"

"Thanks Celebi!" Grovyle called and jumped into the passage.

"Stay safe Celebi!" and I leaped into the portal.

"Be careful Celebi…" Priscilla said sadly before disappearing into the passage.

"There they are! Stop them!" Dusknoir yelled behind us, but we were already decades away from him. The Sableye and Dusknoir surrounded Celebi, but she exploded in a flash of white light, transforming the Passage of Time into a small ball of light, pulsing with electricity.

"Gah... " Dusknoir cracked the ground with his fist "Damn it! They escaped again!"

All I remember was tumbling through the time stream, with Priscilla screaming beside me before blacking out.

…

When I awoke, I felt the hot sand in my palms and waves lapping gently beside me. The scene felt so familiar that I swore I travelled so far in time that I ended up unconscious on the beach again for the first time. Priscilla and Grovyle groaning beside me confirmed that it wasn't true though.

"Ugh… where… where are we…?" I gently got Priscilla to her feet as she assessed the surrounding area "Isn't this where I… met you Silvin…? The beach?"

"Looks like it. That means…"

"We're home Silvin! We in the past!" Priscilla hugged me tightly "We finally home!"

"Urk…" Grovyle groaned and we let go of each other to check on him. Grovyle lifted himself off the ground and looked around, marvelling at the bright blue sky and afternoon sun shining.

"So we did it… we made it through…" Grovyle said slowly, as if he was amazed by the very air itself "Back to your world?"

"Yes! This is the beach where I met Silvin for the first time!" Priscilla pointed to two brown rocks that stuck up out of the sand "I found him unconscious right there"

"So that's what happened" Grovyle brushed the sand with his foot and looked relieved that it actually moved "The last trip took me to the Eastern Forest. So that means Silvin and I both reached your world, but ended up very far from each other"

"I think now would be a good time for you to explain some things" Priscilla noted "But here isn't a good place. Let's go to Wigglytuff's Guild and talk there"

"Priscilla, remember that Grovyle is wanted criminal" I reminded the Eevee "Depending on what point of time we ended up in, Grovyle could of just stolen his first Time Gear or about to steal Azelf's"

"Yeah, you're right…" Priscilla bit her lip in distaste "I have one place in mind, but that involves going through Treasure Town and Team Skylar's camp…"

"It shouldn't be a problem if we lay low and sneak through" Grovyle assured "As a matter of fact, I can use Dig to get us there without anyone noticing"

"Good idea. I'll lead the way" Priscilla nodded.

A few minutes later, we popped up at Sharpedo Bluff. Priscilla looked tense to reunite with our old friends alongside Grovyle, but strangely, everything from our camp was gone. Even Henry's roost, which was the first item we bought for the camp.

"Wait… why isn't the camp here…?" Priscilla asked nervously "Henry's roost was supposed to be here. There's no hole where it once was, so it doesn't look like someone removed it"

"Uh oh. You know what I'm thinking, are you?" I frowned.

"Do you think… we're in the point of time before we explored Waterfall Cave…?" Priscilla's voice was on the edge of panic "I mean, looking at the bright side, at least we can get back at Team Skull now that we're stronger…"

"We've just returned to the point in time before we recruited ANYONE and that's what you're thinking of?" I slapped my forehead "Let's just sort everything out before investigating whether or not this is the far past or present past. After all, the others could of moved the camp to a different area"

"You're right. Let's not get ahead of ourselves" Priscilla nodded and sliced a bush in half with Wide Slash, revealing a hidden set of stairs down "Come in"

"You never told me about this Priscilla"

"It brings up bad memories" the Eevee replied with a somber tone "This was my home before I joined the guild. I… I lived here with my parents"

"What happened to them?" Grovyle asked.

"They… died. Of illness" Priscilla stared at the ground, trying to contain her tears.

"You told me they died of illness before" I recalled "But what exactly took them?"

"... Asthma" Priscilla answered flatly "Anyhow, I still have their old beds here. There's enough for the three of us"

Grovyle stared out the opening of the cliff, which formed the open mouth of Sharpedo Bluff "I see. So this is a hollow chamber on the side of the cliff. Must be brutal when a storm comes though"

"That's why we had a carpenter install walls and curtains for us" Priscilla hit a switch on the wall and a layer of stone rose out of the ground like it was being pushed by pistons. The rock layer rose until it hit the "teeth" of Sharpedo Bluff, completely blocking off the open chamber that was the "mouth". Small squares of rock were carved out of the wall to form windows.

Priscilla sighed "I'm glad nobody wrecked this place. I haven't been here in a year"

The Eevee took an old dry stone and stick in the corner and used it to spark a flame. She lit the torches hanging on the walls to provide some extra light.

"I guess it's proof of how little notice this place attracts" I noted "This is a good place to stay for the time being until we know what's going on"

"Right" Priscilla nodded and used her torch to light a campfire in the center of the home "Now let's talk"

Night fell quickly, with the moon rising over the clear night sky.

"I never expected you to be the very same Silvin…" Grovyle stared at me like he still couldn't comprehend it. I had nothing to say to respond to it. Luckily, Priscilla did it for me.

"Grovyle, can you tell us more about that?" the Eevee asked as she plucked a roasted Oran Berry off her stick to eat.

"Yes" Grovyle nodded "Silvin and I were jointly investigating the planet's paralysis"

"A Pokemon and a human… paired together?" Priscilla frowned "Is that possible?"

"I thought it was impossible too, but I met Silvin one day in a forest" Grovyle began "He looked lost, so I wanted to help him. I found out he could actually speak to me, so we became fast friends. In time, he joined my quest to prevent the planet's paralysis"

"Wait a moment, I remember the first time I met Silvin on the beach" Priscilla tilted her head in deep thought "He exclaimed "But I'm a human! How can I suddenly hear Pokemon speak now?""

"What the- How could you remember that?" I asked, flabbergasted "That encounter was more than a year ago!"

"I have a good memory Silvin" Priscilla smirked, then turned back to Grovyle "But anyway, why would Silvin say that if he understood you in the past?"

"Silvin was a human like no other" Grovyle nodded "He was able to understand Pokemon speech, which no human ever before could do. Perhaps it's that stereotype that made Silvin blurt out that remark when you two met"

"Oh, I see" Priscilla nodded "Then in that case, continue. Sorry for the interruption"

"It's no trouble. As I was going to say, Silvin also had a special ability like no other" Grovyle continued "It was vital for our investigation and needless to say, he was irreplaceable help"

"By special ability… do you mean the Dimensional Scream?" Priscilla asked.

"Exactly" Grovyle nodded "But the Dimensional Scream has a drawback. It requires the presence of a trusted Pokemon partner to work"

"Trusted Pokemon partner…" Priscilla stared at me with a warm smile and I returned it.

"Without that partner, the Dimensional Scream cannot be triggered" Grovyle acted like he didn't notice me and Priscilla's silent interaction "That's why me and Silvin worked together. The Dimensional Scream is set off by triggers tied to where Time Gears are located"

"Wait… if the Dimensional Scream is only triggered where Time Gears are located…" Priscilla turned to me "Then why did it trigger when you touched Azurill's apple? And Drowzee's arm?"

I flashbacked a year ago to when I triggered the Dimensional Scream for a first time. The first visions showed me Azurill being threatened by Drowzee atop Mt Bristle.

"Hmm.. that's strange…" Grovyle tapped the ground with his foot absently "The Dimensional Scream is only supposed to trigger at places with Time Gears nearby. Did you happen to touch this Azurill's apple and Drowzee's arm anywhere unfamiliar?"

"No, it happened in Treasure Town" Priscilla answered "Maybe it was the "trusted Pokemon partner" condition that triggered it. Perhaps… me and Silvin's trust is so strong that we strengthened the Dimensional Scream?"

"You're making it sound corny" I offhandedly commented.

"That could be the case" Grovyle cupped his hand under his chin "When did these two episodes happen exactly?"

"A year ago, not too long after me and Silvin became explorers" Priscilla stared at me "But that doesn't make any sense. How could our trust be that strong when we only spent a few months together?"

"That just shows how much trust Silvin placed in you from day one" Grovyle smiled, which was surprising to see "Doesn't it make sense? Silvin has just woken up in an unfamiliar world with no memory of his former life. You were the first person he met, Priscilla and you stayed with him all this time as his companion"

"And our trust grew stronger in a shorter amount of time" Priscilla nodded.

"Anyhow, we used the Dimensional Scream to identify the locations of the Time Gears" Grovyle continued "After figuring out where the Time Gears were in the past, we took the Passage of Time and transported ourselves to the past. However, the last time we did it… disaster struck"

"What happened?" Priscilla asked curiously.

"We encountered… turbulence so to say while travelling through time" Grovyle replied "Me and Silvin became separated and somehow, Silvin developed amnesia and turned into a Pokemon along the way. I could only surmise that it had something to do during the accident through time"

"It's still hard to wrap my head around this all" I said, easing myself onto the bed Priscilla gave me. She didn't mention which parent used to sleep on it and I didn't want to press "I was once a human with the power to speak to Pokemon and the Dimensional Scream. I came from the future and had a mission to prevent the planet's paralysis. And my trusted partner was Grovyle?"

"That sums it up" Grovyle nodded "So Silvin, you may not remember this, but… you were my closest friend. I worried for you to death when we were separated. I'm glad to see you safe"

"I suppose I can say the same about you" I shrugged.

"Your appearance may of changed and your memories may be gone…" Grovyle continued "But it's easy to see your heart didn't. You're still you, Silvin and nothing alters the fact that you're still my friend"

"Give me a little time to process it all" I nodded "But… I think I can get used to you being around. One day, I think we'll possess a stronger friendship than we did in the past"

"Now who's being corny?" Priscilla commented and all of us laughed.

"Now we have to decide our next course of action" Grovyle said as the laughing died down "Like I told you before: I'm going to collect the Time Gears again. But I want your help this time"

"Umm… I'm still a little worried about time stopping in the region a Time Gear was stolen from" Priscilla curled her lip "Are you sure it's only temporary?"

"Absolutely. Once all five Time Gears are set in Temporal Tower, time will be restored to normal everywhere" Grovyle assured.

"Alright then. We'll go with you first thing in the morning" Priscilla nodded "We should leave as early as possible to avoid the Treasure Town residents"

"Before you found out Grovyle was my former partner, you mistrusted Grovyle's words" I said to Priscilla "And now, you take it without hesitation. Something definitely changed"

"The fact Grovyle used to be your closest friend gives me assurance that he's trustworthy" Priscilla nodded "Now that we're home and we've talked a while with Grovyle, I can easily say he can be trusted"

"Well, that's some development if I ever saw it" Grovyle smiled lightly "Alright, so we'll leave at the crack of dawn. For now, let's get some rest. I'd imagine all of us are exhausted from the running we had to do"

"Right…" I collapsed onto my bed "Goodnight everyone"

"Goodnight Silvin and Grovyle. Sweet dreams" Priscilla doused the bonfire with a bucket of water and curled into her bed too. Not too long later, I was out cold and in a deep sleep.

While I was asleep however, Priscilla woke up and quietly walked outside to get some fresh air. Grovyle noticed she was gone and got out of bed.

"Hm? Priscilla isn't here…" Grovyle looked around the home and saw the Eevee wasn't anywhere around "Maybe she's outside"

Grovyle took the staircase out of the house and found Priscilla gazing at the sea on the cliff edge.

"What's the matter? Can't sleep?" Grovyle yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, just thinking" Priscilla replied absently, scratching the ground with her paw.

"About Dusknoir?"

"No, not him. Sure, it was shocking that he deceived us the whole time" Priscilla shrugged "But your story really drove it home Grovyle. What Dusknoir said in the future really was all true. I'm still sorting out my feelings about Silvin being from the future"

"I noticed you giving warm smiled to him during the bonfire last night…" Grovyle said in a low voice "Do you… have feelings for him?"

"We may have confessed our feelings and kissed in the future world…" Priscilla smiled a bit from the memory, then turned beside her "Oh look. The sun's rising Grovyle"

As the morning sunlight lit up the world, Priscilla stared at it with amazement "It's probably because we were in the future for so long, but the morning sun has never been so beautiful"

"The sun rises and sets, yet we take it for granted" Grovyle murmured "It's only natural, but the things we take for granted are the most essential and precious things in this world"

"Couldn't have said it better myself"

"All I've known was the future's world of darkness" Grovyle admitted "Upon returning to the past and seeing the sun rise for the first time… it was staggering. It strengthened my resolve to turn history away from a doomed future"

Grovyle turned to Priscilla "There's one thing I wanted to ask you Priscilla. It was about that time in the future, when we were surrounded by Sableye, Dusknoir and Dialga himself"

"What about it?" the Eevee asked.

"Frankly, it was a no-win situation. There was no hope" Grovyle explained "I had given up and yet you didn't, despite everything being against us. What compelled you? How did you stay so strong?"

"Well… I honestly don't know…" Priscilla turned to the sea beside her "But maybe… maybe it was because Silvin stood by me"

"Silvin…?"

"Take a look at this" Priscilla brought out her Relic Fragment from her Treasure Bag and laid it on the ground to show to Grovyle.

"This… What could it be?" Grovyle wondered as he examined the fragment "There's an odd pattern inscribed on the top. I've never seen this before…"

"It's my Relic Fragment. It's my personal treasure, so to speak" Priscilla explained "I have a dream of solving the mystery behind it one day"

"What does this have to do with Silvin?"

"Let me explain, leafy head"

"Leafy head?!"

"I was such a coward back then. I couldn't even apply at the guild as an apprentice" Priscilla stared at the calm waves below her, as if looking into the past "But then… I met Silvin"

Priscilla explained the time when me, her and Henry first explored the Waterfall Cave. Thanks to the Dimensional Scream, I told her the secret to Waterfall Cave was that there was a cavern behind the rushing waterfall. Both Priscilla and Henry protested, but both eventually went along with it just because of the trust they had in me.

"Silvin was always there to cheer me up and inspire bravery into me and so many others" Priscilla continued "And there was the time in Fogbound Lake where…"

Priscilla told Grovyle about the time when we fought the illusion Groudon at Fogbound Lake. She told him about how scared she was going up against Groudon, but in that moment, she told herself to be brave and to protect Silvin just as he was protecting her.

"With Silvin, I feel like I can overcome any challenge. Defeat any Pokemon" Priscilla smiled distantly "Without Silvin, I would of never worked up the courage to jump into the waterfall or face down Groudon. Maybe that's why I knew I could keep going without giving up"

"... Alright. I think I understand what you're saying" Grovyle nodded "Silvin has a special quality that makes others feel that way. He inspires courage and bravery into others seamlessly"

"That's why he was such a good leader for Team Skylar" Priscilla commented.

"I care for Silvin as a friend, but your bond with him is even stronger" Grovyle continued "Silvin is… lucky to be blessed with a friend like you…"

The two stopped talking and continued watching the sun rise over the mountains.

"Well, it's morning now. We should be leaving soon" Grovyle informed.

"Right" Priscilla nodded. She put her Relic Fragment back into her bag and followed Grovyle back into Sharpedo Bluff.

A few minutes later, we were all up and ready to go. Grovyle held a short briefing before we left.

"Alright, so it's agreed that we'll collect all the Time Gears" Grovyle began "First, we should decide what Time Gear we should target first"

"Let's check the map" Priscilla brought out her Wonder Map and spread it across the floor, pointing to the Underground Lake at Quicksand Cave "The Underground Lake here is the closest. Should we target that one first? Me and Silvin can explain things to Mesprit"

"How about Treeshroud Forest? That's where I got my first Time Gear the last time" Grovyle suggested "It's unguarded, so it should be easy to take back"

"Where is Treeshroud Forest?" I asked.

"Here" Grovyle pointed to a cluster of tree in the northeast "It's a little far from here, but like I said, it's unguarded. Taking it shouldn't attract too much attention"

"It'll be good to strike there first" I agreed "If we have to fight someone over a Time Gear, the Treasure Town residents and the guild will rally and send others to guard the remaining Time Gears. We'll be in a lot of trouble after that"

"Alright then, it's settled" Priscilla rolled up her Wonder Map and stuffed it back in her bag "Onward to Treeshroud Forest!"

Half a day later, we arrived at Treeshroud Forest. It was a tall, verdant forest covered in sturdy trees with roots creeping across the earth. Clearly, these trees are several centuries old.

"This is it. The entrance to Treeshroud Forest" Grovyle said "Hm?"

"Something wrong Grovyle?" Priscilla asked.

"The atmosphere here feels… different compared to last time" Grovyle gazed around to look for any differences "But I'm probably just imagining it. We'll go in when we're all ready"

Grovyle gestured to the Kangaskhan Rock nearby and began to organize his inventory. Thankfully, this Kangaskhan Rock wasn't defiled by graffiti or had its head cut off like in the future world.

"You know, these Kangaskhan Rocks are all conveniently placed at the entrance of mystery dungeons" Priscilla commented "I wonder who built them all and connected the pocket dimension with Kangaskhan's Storage"

"Another question we'll never know the answer to" I said as I pulled a Reviver Seed and stuffed it in my treasure bag "Along with "How can Hippowdon summon a sandstorm in a world that doesn't move?""

"Don't bring up anything about Celebi please…" Grovyle muttered "I… I still worry for her"

"We all do Grovyle. I wonder what happened to her after we escaped" I said.

"She likely escaped. Celebi is a sneaky little Pokemon" Grovyle had a small smile on his face "She's probably safe right now. I just want to stop the planet's paralysis so she can finally see the world not stained by darkness"

"Hey Grovyle. Do you happen to have a… thing for Celebi?" Priscilla teased "Because if you couldn't tell, she definitely has a crush on you"

Grovyle sighed "I know she does, but it's a trivial matter right now. I'll deal with it once the dark future is averted"

"But do you… also have a crush on Celebi?" I grinned deviously.

"Silvin! Now is not the time!" Grovyle snapped, his face red "A-anyway, are you two ready?"

"Yep, ready to go" Priscilla nodded "Into the Treeshroud Forest!"

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 39_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 37_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Grovyle_

 _Level 46_

 _Moves: Leaf Blade, Absorb, Dig and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ****_

 **And here we are, back to the original timeline. This is just a dialogue heavy chapter to cover everything in between Deep Dusk Forest and Treeshroud Forest. Up next, we'll have Silvin, Priscilla and Grovyle take back the Treeshroud Forest Time Gear and convince the guild of Dusknoir's lies. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	24. Chapter 23: Unforgotten Bonds

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 23: Unforgotten Bonds

Treeshroud Forest was filled to the brim with Psychic type Pokemon. Ralts, Kirlia, Kadabra and Alakazam all prowled the floors, threatening to melt my brain to mush with their psychic power. I tried to stay clear of them and if any locked eyes with me, it usually resulted with an Iron Thorn being thrown into their face. At the very least, I could handle the Houndoom that troubled Grovyle and if any Psychic types got close, I had Bite to take them down.

"There has to be something here that attracts all these Psychic types" I remarked "Like I don't know… Some kind of magic?"

"Maybe it's the Time Gear" Priscilla suggested "I guess Pokemon find its presence soothing and calm? If so, it helps them focus"

"Focus and clarity of the mind is what powers special attacks" Grovyle nodded "So if the Time Gear really does what Priscilla said, then the Psychic types are here because it helps them focus better"

"I'm not feeling any difference" I frowned as a kicked a Geo Pebble on the ground towards a Kirlia "But it's probably because I use all physical attacks"

"Same for me" Grovyle agreed "The Ninetales and Houndoom are here for the same reason. The Cherrim and Vespiquen are self explanatory"

"Funny that we see Vespiquen, but not Combee" I commented "If Vespiquen is the "queen bee" of the Combees, shouldn't we be expected a swarm soon?"

"Don't jinx us Silvin. A swarm of Combee is the worst thing I want to see" Grovyle grit his teeth "And you wouldn't want it either. Imagine millions of tiny bees swarming your face, tearing off your skin with Bug Bite. It's not a pleasant experience"

"I could imagine…" I sidestepped a Psybeam from a Alakazam and retaliated with a swift Iron Thorn throw, piercing it straight through the head "Ugh, this dungeon's long…"

We made our way through the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth floor, having to burn a Petrify Orb along the way to take care of a Monster House. Hours later, we reached the twentieth floor, arriving at a clearing in the forest.

"Wh-what is this?!" Grovyle looked around the clearing in shock. All around us, the forest was a dull shade of gray. Dew laid suspended in the air and there was no sound, not even the rustle of wind. It was like everyone has stopped.

"Time is at a standstill here!" Grovyle exclaimed.

"But didn't Uxie and the others return the Time Gears to their original locations?" Priscilla asked "Shouldn't that mean time would be restored in this area?"

"That's what should happen, but... " Grovyle gestured around him "Time is still stopped here. That could only mean one thing"

"The Time Gear wasn't returned here yet?"

"Only one way to find out. The Time Gear should be in this grotto" Grovyle led us to a narrow grotto in the trees, out of the way of the main path. A Time Gear was hooked in a web of magic, as to suspend the Time Gear in place. The gear pulsed with green light, like it was trying to erase the gray of the forest.

"So the Time Gear really was placed already…" Priscilla murmured.

"There's no mistaking it. This is a Time Gear" Grovyle nodded "And since time is still stopped here, despite the Time Gear being returned, only one thing could of happened"

"The planet's paralysis" I said firmly "It has begun"

Grovyle nodded gravely and went up to the web of magic, taking the Time Gear like it was a plate of food on the counter. The green web of magic faded and the gray colour of the forest darkened.

"Before you protest, time has already stopped here" Grovyle explained "There would be no difference if I take it now"

"I thought the same thing" Priscilla nodded "Shall we leave then?"

"Priscilla, there's just one thing I'd like you to do" Grovyle said, stopping the Eevee in her tracks "Before we return to Sharpedo Bluff, I want you to gather information in Treasure Town. Find out the state of the world right now"

"Alright then"

"Everyone thinks you're stuck in the future. Therefore…" Grovyle cupped his hand under his chin "You should lay low and not draw attention to yourself"

"I understand. Me coming back would cause an uproar. I'll stay down and gather news discreetly" Priscilla perked up "Oh yeah, I have an old cloak in my home inside a storage bin. I can use that to disguise myself"

"Good idea. I'll make a tunnel for you to travel back to Sharpedo Bluff secretly" Grovyle nodded "But anyways, now's a good time to go"

Me and Grovyle waited in Priscilla's home for half an hour, before the Eevee returned, pushing down the linen hood that covered her head.

"I'm back" Priscilla said "I got some news like you wanted"

"What's the word?" Grovyle asked.

"The word is… not very good" Priscilla slumped "Everyone in Treasure Town is in a panic because the Time Gears were returned to their original locations, but time wasn't restored. The guild is still trying to comprehend what happened to us and how to rescue us"

"Anything else?" I pressed.

"Not only was time not restoring, it's spreading" Priscilla continued "Time is stopping in more places"

"...The worst is coming to pass…" Grovyle murmured.

"Everyone is upset and concerned because nobody can figure out what the problem is" Priscilla added "To them, returning the Time Gears is the only way to restore time in that area. I heard Chatot had a panic attack one day because he just didn't know how to solve the issue"

"Then the apocalypse has started" I proclaimed "Temporal Tower is beginning to collapse"

"My words exactly, Silvin" Grovyle agreed "Temporal Tower gives structure to time. If it begins to collapse, then the time stream itself will break apart as well, causing the world to be paralyzed"

"This is bad then. The problem is accelerating" I curled my lip "The end of the world is coming on fast"

"In that case, we have to split up" Grovyle suggested "Travelling to each Time Gear location together will take too much time. It took us a day and a half to reach Treeshroud Forest"

"And every second counts in saving the world" I continued "Grovyle's right. We need to split up to gather the Time Gears in the least amount of time"

"There's just one problem" Grovyle rubbed his foot on the ground "Temporal Tower, where we have to place the Time Gears, is located in a place called Hidden Land. Like the name suggests, Hidden Land is well… hidden"

"And I assume nobody knows where it is?" Priscilla guessed.

Grovyle nodded in response.

"Then, what can we do? We literally have no time!" Priscilla cried, panic clear in her voice.

"We have to split up" Grovyle replied "I'll go gather the Time Gears and you two gather any information on the location of Hidden Land"

"But if you try to take the Time Gears again, wouldn't Mesprit, Azelf and Uxie attempt to stop you?" I asked worriedly.

"That's where you'll come in" Grovyle said, turning to Priscilla "Since nobody knows where Hidden Land is, you are going to need to ask for help. That means announcing your return to the world of the past"

"It was inevitable anyways" Priscilla shrugged "Okay, we'll head to Wigglytuff's Guild, explain everything that has happened and get the guild to investigate anything regarding Hidden Land"

"I'll leave it to you two then" Grovyle nodded "Since nobody has a clue as to where Hidden Land is, we can assume it's not on the mainland. You might need to cross the sea to reach it"

"Cross the sea…" Priscilla gazed out the window towards the calm sea, gleaming in the sunlight.

"If so, you're going to need to find a way to do so" Grovyle said "Sadly, I have no idea how you're going to cross the sea, but I'll leave it to you"

"We'll find a way" Priscilla promised.

"Good. Then I'll be off to gather the Time Gears" Grovyle smiled at both of us "Good luck you two"

"Same to you Grovyle" I said.

"Stay safe Grovyle" Priscilla nodded.

And Grovyle left. I heard a low rumbling in the earth, signifying Grovyle used Dig to secretly pass underneath Treasure Town.

"So I guess now would be a good time to head to Wigglytuff's Guild" Priscilla handed me an old, tattered brown cloak to disguise myself "Put this on and we'll head out"

A few minutes later, we headed out, sneaking through Treasure Town's afternoon market thanks to our disguises and slipping through the outskirts. The sun was setting behind us and we arrived at Wigglytuff's Guild with the bright sunset on the horizon.

"Well, here we are" Priscilla pushed down her hood "You know, this feels like the first time we came to Wigglytuff's Guild. It was sunset and the door was locked"

"Yeah, it does…" I stared at the wooden security grate in front of us "Welp, nothing to do but stand on the grate and wait for Diglett"

I stepped onto the security grate and Diglett's voice rang from below like usual.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

"Who's footprint? Who's footprint?"

The scene felt so familiar that I swore I was living out the exact same scenario one year ago.

"The footprint is…" Diglett trailed off, then gasped "The f-footprint is…!"

"What?! Who is it?!" Loudred hollored.

"The f-footprint is…" Diglett swallowed "It's Silvin!"

"WHAT?! It's Silvin?!" Loudred yelped "Hey Diglett! Where do you think you're burrowing away to?!"

"That footprint… it's Silvin!" Diglett cried.

"Priscilla is here too!" I yelled down the security hole.

"What?!" I heard Bidoof's cry of surprise.

"Silvin and Priscilla are back?!" Sunflora gasped in alarm.

"Open the gate! Let them through!" Loudred shouted.

Beside us, Diglett popped out of the ground.

"It IS Silvin!" Diglett announced "And Priscilla too!"

"Long time no see Diglett" I smiled.

Suddenly, the earth rumbled around us, as if a stampede of Pokemon were coming out of the guild all at once. The iron gate lifted and everyone came out, swarming us like we were famous Pokemon.

"Hey, hey! It's true!" Corphish said, relieved.

"Oh my gosh! It really is Silvin and Priscilla!" Sunflora cheered "We were all worried sick for you two!"

"You're both ALIVE!" Loudred grinned "Thank goodness!"

"Like Sunflora said, we were all worried to death about you!" Chimecho added.

"I...I… I was…" Bidoof sniffled "By golly… you're safe. Thank the stars you're safe"

"We're home everybody…" Priscilla smiled, although I notice tears gleaming in her eyes in the light. It was hard to contain my tears too. After being away from the guild and our team for such a long time, I've grown to miss them. More than I realized. The guild Pokemon quieted down as Chatot appeared in the gate, followed by Wigglytuff.

"Welcome home, Silvin and Priscilla!" Wigglytuff welcomed "Everyone, let's bring Silvin and Priscilla inside so we can hear their story!"

Moments later, we were inside the guild on the second floor. Me and Priscilla explained everything that has happened, going from the dark future ahead to Grovyle's revelation along with Dusknoir's betrayal. When we were done, Chatot fluttered in alarm. I even heard some gasps coming from beside me.

"...What?! What was that again?!" Chatot took a deep breath "Just… just hold on for a moment. Let me get this story straight"

"Go ahead" Priscilla nodded.

"Ahem, let me summarize your story so far" Chatot cleared his throat "So first of all, Grovyle is actually a good Pokemon?"

"Yes. He was on a mission alongside Silvin in the past to gather the Time Gears and prevent the planet's paralysis by placing them on Temporal Tower" Priscilla explained.

"Dusknoir only pretended to be kind and helpful…?" Chatot continued "But he was actually a heinous and wicked villain?"

"Yes. He put up a front to gain the trust of everyone so he could capture Grovyle and me" I said "While we were in the future, Dusknoir and his goons repeatedly tried to KILL us"

"Also Silvin was really Grovyle's partner in the past?" Chatot asked.

"Yes" I nodded.

"So Dusknoir wanted to kill Silvin and Grovyle, so he took them to future?"

"Mm hmm"

"Then you managed to escape from the future by the skin of your teeth?" Chatot continued "And only barely managed to make it home alive?"

"With the help of Celebi, yes" I said.

"And finally, the planet will eventually become paralyzed…" Chatot tilted his head "And to prevent that, Grovyle must "collect" the Time Gears again and place them in this Temporal Tower?"

"And while he's doing that, we're trying to find a place called Hidden Land" I added "As Temporal Tower is located there"

"That is your story in the whole entirety?" Chatot asked.

"Yep. That's everything" Priscilla nodded "We came here so we could get the guild's help in locating Hidden Land. The fate of the entire world is at stake here- Hey Chatot! Why are you laughing?!"

In front of us, Chatot began giggling before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Hee! Hee-hee! Hee-heee!" Chatot laughed "Priscilla and Silvin… you must of had a bad dream or something!"

"WHAT?! YOU DON'T BELIEVE US?!" Priscilla screamed "You saw Dusknoir pull us into the portal to the future, you stupid little bird!"

"Please calm down Priscilla…" I said soothingly and held the Eevee back from cutting Chatot to feathers with Wide Slash.

"Why don't you two go to your room and get some rest?" Chatot continued.

I glared at Chatot "... Do you think we're lying? Everything we said is true. We went through hell and back and you don't BELIEVE US?!"

"Sure, sure… everything is true…" Chatot simply smiled "I'm sure you two are suffering through exhaustion. A good nap will fix that"

"Listen here, you little shit" I growled "In the future, I've seen every enemy Pokemon with dark pits for eyes and BLOOD trailing down it. I will personally send you down to that hell if you continue to mistrust us"

"That's quite enough!" Chatot snapped "So tell me, is there any part of your story that's remotely plausible?"

"Think about it dammit!" Priscilla yelled "Dusknoir pulled me and Silvin into the future for no reason, so that proves his wickedness. And if you didn't notice, time is stopping in a larger area! Both of those facts match with our story!"

"What about the Hidden Land part?" Chatot countered "I'm the head of intelligence here and I've heard no such place!"

"It's called HIDDEN LAND for a reason!" I snarled.

"And the great Dusknoir is far too kind to do anything you've alleged!" Chatot continued and at that point, Priscilla nearly exploded.

"DUSKNOIR TRIED TO KILL US IN THE FUTURE!" the Eevee screamed "He pulled us into the future portal and attempted to kill us not once, but TWICE! We were nearly sliced to ribbons because of him!"

"I will hear no more of this!" Chatot snapped "I don't care what you say. The great Dusknoir? A villain?! That's simply unbelievable!"

Chatot turned to the other guild members "Seriously, don't you all feel the same way? How could anybody seriously think the great Dusknoir as a villain?"

"We hold Dusknoir in high esteem" Dugtrio added "We can't believe it"

"See?! See?!" Chatot fluttered "See? Everyone shares the same opinion. So you two should get some rest and forget this nonsense"

"Fine. Fuck all of you" Priscilla bloodied her lip in frustration "Me and Silvin will find the Hidden Land on our own then, with or without your help. We will save the world and YOU will regret not being part of our final glory"

"I thought all of you had more trust in us than this" I glared at each and every one of the guild's Pokemon "But it seems like I was mistaken. Come on Priscilla, we're leaving. After this is over, let's strike out as solo explorers. We don't need the guild anymore"

"My thoughts exactly" Priscilla agreed.

I shoved Chatot aside and we made our way to the ladder, growling at the guild in disgust.

"Wait!" Sunflora cried, stopping us in our tracks "There's something I still don't understand"

"... What?" I replied coldly.

"Priscilla brought up a good point. Remember the time when Dusknoir was about to return to the future?" Sunflora reminded everybody "Dusknoir pulled Silvin and Priscilla into the future with him. Any way you look at it, it's strange"

"See?! Sunflora gets it!" I relaxed and grinned at Sunflora.

"Really? Do you think so?" Chatot's questioning made my anger return however "Don't you think Silvin and Priscilla may of fell into the dimensional hole by accident?"

"NO WAY!" Loudred cried "Dusknoir grabbed Silvin and Priscilla by their necks and YANKED them in! I even heard three of their team members trying to stop Dusknoir!"

"Hey, hey! That's right! It looked that way to me too!" Corphish added "Hey, hey! What happened was really weird!"

"Gosh, I really have to wonder why Dusknoir did something like that" Bidoof added "Silvin and Priscilla are definitely not criminals like Grovyle. No sirree!"

"If… if what Priscilla and Silvin said are true…" Chimecho said "Then what Dusknoir did makes perfect sense!"

"What?! Wait a minute!" Chatot cried panically "So that's what you think right now? Are you actually saying you believe what Silvin and Priscilla are saying now?"

Everyone went quiet.

"Well, what's your answer?" Chatot demanded.

"Uhh… I… I believe them" Bidoof said at last.

"What?! What did you say?!" Chatot cried in alarm "So Bidoof, you're now claiming that the great Dusknoir is a villain?"

"Oof! Golly, I surely did think highly of the great Dusknoir" Bidoof nodded "The whole idea sounds troubling when you put it that way, but there's something more important here!"

"What is that something?" I asked.

"You two. Silvin and Priscilla" Bidoof turned to us with a winning smile "Both of you are more important than Dusknoir. You two are real, genuine friends. That is why I believe them!"

"Wh-wh-what?!" Chatot squawked.

"Bidoof…" Priscilla stared at the rodent Pokemon with a warm smile.

"Hey, hey! I believe them too!" Corphish piped up.

"Me too! They are our guild colleagues, after all!" Sunflora added.

"Corphish… Sunflora…"

"I believe them!" Loudred boomed.

"Me too!" Diglett said.

"So do I!" Chimecho nodded.

"Casting doubt on our colleagues is wrong" Dugtrio proclaimed "Trust is a must"

"Squawk!" Chatot's entire case was falling apart as more and more of the guild Pokemon believed us. It was heartwarming.

"Thank you… all for believing us…" Priscilla gave everyone a warm smile.

"Well hiya!" Wigglytuff interrupted "Looks like we all agree!"

"WHAT?!" everyone gasped.

"We all believe in our friends! That's great!" Wigglytuff continued "Then let's all begin searching for the Hidden Land!"

"Wait one moment Wigglytuff. One person here doesn't agree yet" Priscilla set her eyes on Chatot with a smirk "And that person is Chatot"

"Oh, is that all? We don't need to worry about Chatot!" Wigglytuff shrugged it off.

"... Huh?" murmurs of confusion rang through the floor.

"Chatot is convinced… right?" Wigglytuff turned to Chatot with his usual smile, but I saw intimidation in that smile, like he was trying to scare Chatot.

"HUH?!" now everyone was confused.

"Chatot believed Priscilla and Silvin's story all along!" Wigglytuff revealed "Right Chatot?"

Chatot turned his back on us and began to laugh "Hee… hee-hee! Ha ha ha!"

"WH-WHAT?!" Loudred turned to Chatot "What just happened?"

"Well Guildmaster, there's no fooling you. I admit it" Chatot snickered, then turned around "I believed Silvin and Priscilla's story all along"

"What?! Then what was the point with mistrusting us?" Priscilla asked.

"If I said I believed them right away, everyone would follow along" Chatot explained "That's why I was so contrary. I wanted to put your friendship and trust on the test to see if anyone will stand up for you!"

"... Gosh, likely story…" Bidoof murmured.

"But without a doubt, I was convinced from the get-go" Chatot confirmed "All the facts come together. I knew everyone would believe in their companions. I just wanted to test that. Hee-hee!"

"Says you…" Sunflora mumbled.

"Silvin, Priscilla!" Wigglytuff called "I believe you. You're my good friends in guild membership"

Wigglytuff then turned to everyone else "Everyone! Time is stopping in more and more places. From Priscilla and Silvin's story, we know the world is in danger. That means we have to do something. In the name of Wigglytuff's Guild, we will combine our efforts to help save the world!"

"HOORAY!"

Wigglytuff turned to Chatot "Chatot!"

"Y-yes sir!" Chatot squeaked, then murmured under his breath "Too loud…"

"You know what to do" Wigglytuff said.

"Right" Chatot turned to us "Everyone, we shifting our focus to locating the Hidden Land! We also have to let everyone know what's happening in our world. It's going to get busy, so we all have to work hard!"

"I sure will!" Loudred piped up.

"I'll putter down to Treasure Town!" Bidoof called "I'll get the word out, by golly!"

"I'll go too!" Diglett called.

"We have to let Azelf and the others know!" Sunflora pointed out "If Grovyle is going to collect the Time Gears again, we need to let the three know so they don't fight him!"

"Hey, hey! Then I'll go tell them!" Corphish volunteered.

"Okay. Everyone else, search for the Hidden Land" Chatot commanded "Devote all your time to finding clues about it. We need to find the Hidden Land as fast as possible!"

"YEAH!" Loudred rallied.

"Bidoof, Sunflora and everyone else, once your errands are done, gather info on Hidden Land" Chatot ordered.

"Yes sir!" Bidoof nodded.

"We'll hurry!" Sunflora promised.

"We'll find the Hidden Land together!" Wigglytuff rallied "YOOM-TAH!"

"HOORAY!" everyone cheered.

As everyone began talking among each other, Wigglytuff approached us.

"I'm sorry that I don't have any information on Hidden Land" Wigglytuff apologized "But maybe the wise Torkoal may know something. He's the town elder"

"Torkoal, the town elder?" Priscilla tilted her head "I remember seeing a Torkoal when me, Silvin and Henry crash landed into the Hot Spring. Is that him?"

"That should be. Torkoal is the wisest and oldest Pokemon in Treasure Town" Chatot explained "He loves the Hot Springs, so he frequently goes there"

"You should put his years of wisdom to use!" Wigglytuff encouraged "Go ask Torkoal for advice on the Hidden Land"

"Alright, we'll head to the Hot Spring in the morning" Priscilla nodded to me, then gazed out the window "It's late right now. We should get some rest"

"You two came home in time for dinner actually" Chimecho commented "So have a meal then get some rest. Then we can get to work straight away tomorrow!"

"Alright then. See you all in the mess hall!"

After dinner, we were back in our old room. Seeing the old vines running down the walls and the moon rising from the sea gave me a good nostalgic feeling.

"It's been so long since we've been in this room" Priscilla remarked "The last time we did was when we were recovering from Grovyle's attack at Crystal Lake"

"And during that time, our team members would visit to take care of us" I remembered "Niko even brought soup for us"

"You know, I wonder where our team is" Priscilla stared out the window longingly "Our camp at Sharpedo Bluff is gone. That means they either relocated or…"

"Worst case scenario, they sold the camp stuff and disbanded Team Skylar" I said "But our friends wouldn't do that"

"Of course they wouldn't. Right now, they are probably still trying to find a way to rescue us" Priscilla yawned "But now's not the time to look for them. We need to sleep, then find Torkoal tomorrow"

"We can look for them while looking for Torkoal" I suggested "Got any idea where they might of relocated?"

"I remember talking about relocating the camp to Lush Prairie with Sara one time" Priscilla offered "Maybe they headed there"

"We'll take a look tomorrow then" I rested my head onto my bed and eased myself into it "Welp, time to sleep. Goodnight Priscilla"

"Goodnight Silvin. Sweet dreams" Priscilla leaned in and whispered "Love you"

"Love you too Priscilla" I whispered back and she blushed before falling back to her bed and going to sleep as well. Before long, my eyes closed and I fell into a deep slumber as well.

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 41  
_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 39_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **And here we are at the endgame chapters of the main story. Treeshroud Forest is one of those long and tedious dungeons (it goes for twenty floors) Thankfully, you have Grovyle who annihilates anything coming in his path, so the enemy Pokemon shouldn't bother you unless you're weak to Psychic moves like Silvin. Silvin and Priscilla cursing is a one-time thing here, just to symbolize the sheer anger they were experiencing. I know a thing or two about not being believed, so I wanted to express that anger as much as possible through Silvin and Priscilla. Coming up next is a filler chapter to cover all the dialogue between Treeshroud Forest and the next chapter. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when the next chapter is up and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	25. Chapter 24: Reminiscent

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 24: Reminiscent

"Got any news for today?" Zach asked as he walked into the camp's study, where Sara and Ezra were studying a large map of the continent.

"Nothing but bad news" Sara nodded gravely "Time is stopping in an ever-expanding area. Me, Zelot and Ezra spent all night trying to figure out the reason why"

"And I assume you got nothing?"

Sara nodded sadly, her eyes weary. Zach could tell she was having trouble sleeping at night. Zelot even had to use a Sleep Seed on Sara to force her to go to sleep.

"Morale is low as usual as well" Ezra traced her claw across the southern coastline "It's been two weeks after Silvin and Priscilla's abduction but everyone at camp is still down in the dumps. It's hard launching any missions like this"

"The problem is that all of us are frustrated" Sara blasted Shadow Ball at a nearby stool to vent out her anger "If I was a LITTLE bit stronger, I could of saved Silvin and Priscilla from that damn Dusknoir"

"We are all saying the same thing" Zach sighed "Why didn't I have my Treasure Bag at the time it happened? I could of thrown a Stun Seed, a Sleep Seed, an X-Eye Seed or ANYTHING to stop Dusknoir. But I was stupid enough to leave it at the camp"

Silence. Ezra gazed around the study the team built after Silvin and Priscilla were abducted. A large mahogany table was in the center of the study, covered in a extra large Wonder Map, a bowl full of various berries, bundles of Iron Thorns and a splinter in the wood after Zelot lost his temper one night and slashed a small bit of the table with his arm.

"That's been happened more frequently, hasn't it?" Sara followed Ezra's gaze to the splinter of wood "Everyone's been getting more angry and tense everyday ever since that happened"

"It's not that we're angry at each other" Zach murmured, flashbacking to the night when Zelot lost his temper because we just couldn't find any way to rescue Silvin and Priscilla "We're angry at ourselves, blaming ourselves for not being strong enough to rescue them before being dragged into the future with Dusknoir"

"... Me and Zelot had another argument this morning" Sara sighed "It might be just me, but everyone seems to be fighting more now. I recently had to break up an argument between Niko and Aria"

"What were they arguing about?" Ezra asked.

"Aria wanted to take the high level rescue missions and earn more money for the team while Niko insisted on taking the lower level missions to prioritize safety" Sara explained "Niko ended up calling Aria stupid for throwing away her life so carelessly. Aria countered by calling Niko too careful and never wanting to be a leader, always a follower. They came to blows over it after"

"That is not like Niko" Zach shook his head "He's never called anyone out in his life. Anytime he disagreed, he did so gently and quietly"

"That just proves how much of a toll Silvin and Priscilla's abduction was on us" Sara continued, then gazed outside the study tent "Zelot's on patrol now. I'll go check on him"

"Go ahead. I need to take a nap" Ezra strolled out of the study and towards her tent, leaving Zach alone.

"Just what is going on in the world…" Zach checked the large Wonder Map on the center of the table. Areas were marked over in gray to signify which places had time stopped "First Silvin and Priscilla get abducted, time begins to stop in more areas and the Time Gears aren't working? Just what is happening?

"Talking to yourself now Zach?" Henry's voice startled the Shinx and he turned to see the small Starly hopping across the ground like a pigeon, perhaps too tired to fly.

"I guess you can say that. Just… asking questions to the empty air" Zach replied with a sigh "How are you holding up? You were frozen in shock for half a day before you unfroze enough to take meals"

"You've been asking me the same question everyday ever since that incident" Henry scowled "I'm fine Zach. Just… worried like everyone else is"

"You were the first recruited member of Team Skylar, were you?" Zach said quietly "How were Silvin and Priscilla to you?"

"Great people and even greater friends" Henry stared out the tent distantly "Man, it's been hard without those two. Everyone's down in the dumps and nobody has motivation to do missions anymore"

"That's a bad thing" Zach curled his lip "While we have a good supply of food and money right now, relaxing too long will cause our resources to deplete. We need to break out of this depression and move on, for Silvin and Priscilla's sake"

"Spoken like a true leader" Henry nodded absently "You know, I can see now why Zelot and Sara elected you leader of Team Skylar for the time being, despite their age and experience"

"A decision I still don't know the reason for" the Shinx shook his head "All I'm doing is managing the team in those two's absence"

"Well, you're taking care of the team just as much as Silvin and Priscilla are. Perhaps even better" Henry pointed out "Just what makes you put in so much effort?"

"... They gave me and Niko a home to stay" Zach began "Even in our birthplace of Amp Plains, it was a hostile area filled with street gangs and thugs, ready to prey on the frail Niko among others"

"Sounds harsh" Henry commented "I mean, I'm a Flying type so of course Amp Plains sounds harsh, but still. Street gangs and thugs outside your front door? Not nice sounding"

"Yeah, we were being chased by Zapdos of all Pokemon and a gang led by an Electabuzz when we met Silvin and Priscilla for the first time" the Shinx continued "They helped me defend Niko and we joined their team in turn. Best decision I made"

"So that's why you're doing so much for Team Skylar huh?" Henry flapped his grey wings to the breeze that just past into the tent "You feel indebted to those two?"

"If you want to put it simple, sure" Zach shrugged "Those two practically saved me and Niko's life. I want to repay them anyway I could, even while they are gone"

"I can see that" Henry nodded "Well, I met those two for the first time when I fought them at Mt Bristle. Silvin took me down with a tactic involving Counter"

"And?"

"He left his guard open intentionally so I could swoop down and strike him" Henry continued "He survived my attack and struck back with Counter, knocking me to the ground"

"Impressive" Zach nodded with admiration.

"I thought so too! So I joined Team Skylar just because Silvin beat me in a fight" Henry shrugged "I'm a simple bird"

"Yeah, you are" the Shinx smiled wearily "You usually eat your food raw instead of cooking it, despite a bonfire literally being in front of you at dinner"

"Hey, I always had Grass type Pokemon raw before I joined!" Henry protested "Old habits are hard to stop!"

"Ha ha ha! I guess so" Zach laughed for the first time in days "Oh by the way, I noticed you have an eye for Aria"

Henry groaned and Zach laughed again.

"Stop laughing Zach. This is sad" Henry pouted "I mean, Aria is cute, smart and has such a sweet sounding voice, but she has an eye for Silvin"

Zach tilted his head "But everyone can tell Silvin and Priscilla are meant to be together. It's like fate or something"

"Careful. You're setting this up to be a bad story troupe" Henry joked "But yeah, I'd rather pursue something I actually have a chance of getting. Aria's thing for Silvin seems like a childish crush really"

"Well, she IS rather young and new to exploring" Zach pointed out.

"Hey! What is this I'm hearing about me?" Aria slithered into the tent with a suspicious look on her face.

"Aw man, she heard us" Henry laughed before clapping Zach on the back "Well, I'm going to fly and catch a mission or two. See you and good luck!"

"Huh? Good luck with what?" Zach yelped.

"Dealing with Aria! See ya!" and the Starly flew out of the tent.

"So… what were you saying about me?" the Dratini asked slowly.

"Eh heh, well…"

"It's about my uhm… thing for Silvin, right?" Aria curled her lip in distaste.

"Y-yeah…" Zach admitted.

"Come on, I just offhandedly mentioned Silvin was handsome as a joke and everyone thinks I like him now?" Aria slapped her face with her tail "People these days…"

"Yeah… comments like those get out of hand real quickly" Zach scratched the back of his head "I'm sure it's just teasing. At least among our group"

"Put a stop to it please" Aria pleaded "I mean, I'd rather not make Sir Silvin uncomfortable when he returns and I don't want the rumor to block anyone else who may umm… you know"

"Right, right…" Zach stared beside him, where a open box filled with Oran Berries stood. A sprinkler was installed above the box and periodically sprayed water over the berries to keep them fresh "You still think Silvin and Priscilla are alive and will return?"

"Why would they not? It's better than believing they are dead" Aria pointed out "Besides, those two survived a lot together according to Sara's stories. I heard they even took down the legendary Groudon!"

Zach sucked air through his teeth "You probably didn't hear the "illusion" part of the Groudon fight"

"Yeah, but the Groudon illusion must of been strong, right?" Aria continued "Yet still, Silvin and Priscilla overcame him with strength, wit and smarts"

"That's true…" the Shinx scratched the closest table leg with his claw "But consider this. If those two are stuck in the future, how will they get out?"

"Good point…" Aria slumped.

"I mean, all we can do is pray that Silvin and Priscilla ended up in a happy future" Zach glanced at the map "Although at the pace the world is falling apart at, it's hard to believe"

"They are going to need some legendary help to come back" Aria said "I researched everything about legendary Pokemon and myths with Niko and Ezra actually"

"Find anything interesting?"

"Well, I read about a Pokemon named Celebi!" Aria exclaimed excitingly "Apparently, Celebi has the power to transport itself and others through any point in time"

"Interesting. Do you think-" Zach began to reply, but Aria cut him off.

"There's also Dialga, who's basically the stronger version of Celebi" the Dratini continued "Dialga governs time itself!"

"A governor may have power, but in the grand scheme of things, they don't have any REAL power" Zach generated a small electric spark through his claw to zap the table leg briefly "What makes Dialga so special compared to Celebi?"

"Oh umm… Dialga is bigger and stronger?" Aria frowned and Zach internally giggled at Aria's childish behavior, despite being as smart as Ezra, Sara and Niko "But I read that Dialga's signature attack, Roar of Time is so powerful that it can send its victims back in time before they were born!"

"Devastating…" Zach noted "So those are all the legendaries related to time?"

"I think so" Aria nodded "So that means Sir Silvin and Lady Priscilla can ask either legendary to send them back in time to our era, right?"

"Sure. Assuming the best case scenario" the Shinx nodded "It seems like we can do nothing but pray they'll return to us soon"

"And while they're gone, we can make the team better than ever" Aria agreed "No point in fighting or being depressed over their disappearance. We have to follow the path they've shown for us and make them proud of Team Skylar when they return"

"Sometimes I forget you're younger than me" Zach smiled and led Aria out of the study "Let's take a walk and get some fresh air. We can chat up with Zelot and Sara along the way"

"Sure!" Aria nodded with a grin.

Once the two left, Ezra poked her head out of her tent and began to walk into the study. Unfortunately, Niko spotted her.

"Waiting for Zach and Aria to leave?" the Mareep guessed.

Ezra sighed "I don't know what's all the fuss for this Silvin and Priscilla. Yes, I know they were the leaders of Team Skylar, but they were dragged into the future. Nothing we can do about that"

"Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine…" Niko murmured "But you raise a good point"

Ezra looked around the camp, watching Zach and Aria walk towards the border "Still, I have to commend their dedication to rescue them. I haven't seen so much effort from anyone in my entire life"

"Just goes to show how much all of us, or at least Zach, care for those two" Niko agreed "But I assume you only went along with it for personal benefit, right?"

"Of course" the Absol shrugged "Researching how to pull someone out of the future and into the past gave me plenty of opportunities to learn about legendary Pokemon and others. Personally, it was a great experience for me"

"I thought you were an alchemist, not a researcher" Niko commented "Oh, speaking of which, thanks for the medicine you made earlier for my throat. It's been sore for days"

"I'm primarily a medicine maker and alchemist, but I AM curious of the world beyond our own" Ezra admitted "And you're welcome for the medicine"

"You know, you may not care for Silvin and Priscilla or Team Skylar as a whole right now, but…" Niko smiled "I think joining the team benefitted both of us a ton"

"Of course. I've learned many things to advance my studies and knowledge by being here" the Absol replied.

"No, no. Not like that" Niko shook his head "I mean that me and you became more sociable after joining Team Skylar. You've been talking a lot more than usual. In fact, this is the third conversation we had that lasted more than a few sentences"

"I suppose so" Ezra shrugged "Zach sometimes reminisces on a time when you were a more shy and quiet child. He murmurs to himself that he's glad you've grown so much and became more open"

"Really? You were able to catch all that?" Niko asked, surprised.

Ezra shrugged again "He was close enough for me to hear. He didn't notice me anyways"

"Funny considering your fur is all white and have a noticeable sharp horn" Niko noted, taking in the Absol's physical features "You're easier to see than Sara"

"But of course. Sara's a Ghost type after all" Ezra replied "And she's all purple. Naturally she'll blend into the dark easily"

"Right… stupid remark" Niko mumbled "So I guess Zach was just too lost in thought to notice you?"

"Probably. He's been disaware for a while now" Ezra noted "He's so oblivious these days that Henry had to slap him across the face to get his attention"

"Really?" Niko snickered "Must of hurt"

"I mean, I know he's unaware because he's thinking of Silvin and Priscilla…" Ezra began "But seriously-"

Before Ezra could continue, a loud hollar went up from the entrance from Zelot.

"EVERYONE COME OUT! SILVIN AND PRISCILLA ARE BACK!"

…

After me and Priscilla's conversation with Torkoal at the Hot Spring, we stopped by Lush Prairie to try and find our team. Turns out, they found us first. Before we even reached the gates of the camp, Zelot yelled to tell everyone we're back, with Zach, Aria and Sara all running towards us to check if we were okay.

"Well, our team has certainly developed since the last time we were here" Priscilla commented as she gazed at the neat wooden fences forming the outer ring of Team Skylar's camp. An array of tents were arranged in a circular formation with a large bonfire in the center. I recognized a few old items in the new camp too, like Henry's roost and a few of the training dummies.

"Oh boy, here they come" I smiled wearily as everyone from the team streamed out of their tents and towards the entrance to greet us. It was five minutes of "Welcome back!", "How did you survive?" and "What happened?", mixed with pats on the back and hugs. It even included a flying tackle hug from Henry.

"Okay, okay, let's gather in the central bonfire" Priscilla said, quieting everyone down "Then we'll explain the whole story"

We gathered at the bonfire in the center. A large ring of rocks formed a circle around a smoking cluster of burnt kindling, like the team extinguished the flames after breakfast earlier. Several long logs surrounded the campfire, providing seating for the team to toast marshmallows or berries.

"So let's begin" Zelot began once we've all seated around the bonfire "What happened after Dusknoir dragged you two into the future?"

"It's a long and complicated story" I began "So me and Priscilla will explain and you can sum it up after"

We told our team of everything that happened after we were dragged into the future. Dusknoir's betrayal and attempts to kill us, Grovyle's revelation, the dark, timeless future ahead and the plan we made to save the world.

"You were right, that IS a lot to swallow" Zelot cleared his throat "So let me sum it up. Dusknoir was actually an agent of Primal Dialga that was sent into the past to kill Silvin and Grovyle because they tried to alter history?"

"Yep" I nodded.

"Grovyle is actually a good Pokemon who was collecting the Time Gears to prevent the planet's paralysis?" Sara continued.

"Mm hmm" Priscilla said.

"And to stop the planet's paralysis, Grovyle must take all five Time Gears to a place called Temporal Tower, located on the Hidden Land?" Zach asked.

"Yes"

"And biggest shocker of all, Silvin was actually Grovyle's human partner in the past?" Henry asked with amazement "And he could talk to Pokemon and see visions of the past and future?"

"Uh huh"

"And Celebi, who was a friend of Grovyle, helped you escape back to the past using this Passage of Time?" Aria asked excitingly "So the legend was true!"

"Yeah, everything we said is true" I looked around at all our teammates, checking their expressions. I saw a few bits of confusion, excitement, doubt and joy among them "Do you believe us?"

"Do you even need to ask? Of course we do" Sara hugged me like a mother would. Her purple cloth of a body brushed warmly against me "We're just glad you're safe. Now you'll find me extremely reluctant to leave my sight"

"Does everyone believe Silvin and Priscilla's story?" Zelot asked everyone.

"It's like Sara says, of course we do" Zach grinned "Dusknoir abducting Silvin and Priscilla is proof enough of his wickedness. Personally, my trust in you two is higher than any admiration I had for Dusknoir"

"Me too" Niko smiled gently in our direction "From your story, I could tell the despair and sorrow you endured through. The way you described your story was so passionate that I knew it was no lie"

"Wow, you've changed a lot" I gave Niko a wide eyed stare, but grinned "You're a lot more talkative than usual. This is the longest sentence I've ever heard you say!"

"Eh heh, Sara and Ezra helped me with that" Niko turned to the Mismagius and Absol "We've been working day and night researching a way to rescue you two. Aria helped too"

"Really? You guys… did all that for us?" Priscilla gave the entire team a heartwarming smile "You tirelessly researched ways to rescue us and you rebuilt the camp in a beautiful prairie like this? I couldn't be more proud"

"We also did rescue and outlaw capture missions while you were gone" Henry chirped "So we got tons of supplies, food and money!"

"Whoa, you guys could run the entire team on your own if you want" I gazed around the newly built camp, marvelling at the organized formation of tents along with the overflowing crates of gear "Are we even needed anymore?"

"Of course you're needed Silvin. Don't ask stupid questions" Sara scowled "The main thing is that you're back and ready to lead the team again. Zach and Zelot were starting to get tired"

"Zach and Zelot led the team while we were gone?" I was more surprised at Zach. Sure, I had him lead an exploration team on his own once, but I didn't think he would grow so fast as to lead the whole team. Our time in the future changed everyone in Team Skylar.

"Yeah, they were great leaders" Niko said "But now that the former leaders are back, we can let them overthrow Zach and Zelot right?"

"Hey, they aren't "overthrowing" us!" Zach pouted "We're just… giving our positions to them"

"Positions they already had!" Aria laughed "In fact, you two actually stole it from them!"

"Come on, you're making us look like the bad guys here" Zelot muttered and everyone laughed.

"Anyway, let's get down to serious business" Priscilla said as the laughter died down "As you may of heard, time is stopping in more areas around the world despite the Time Gears being returned"

"Oh yeah, we have a map so you can see!" Aria got off the log and slithered back to the study tent "Let me get it for you"

Moments later, Aria returned to the bonfire, carrying a extra large Wonder Map on her back. Areas immobilized in time were scribbled over in grey.

"So everything in grey has time stopped?" Priscilla asked as she spread the map wider "Let's see… Fogbound Lake, the Northern Desert, Limestone Cavern and Treeshroud Forest. All these have a red pin over them"

"That's the source of the time stops" Sara explained "Ever since Grovyle stol-took the Time Gears from those areas, the circle of grey grew larger"

"So the situation is growing worse by the day" I murmured as I looked over the map with Priscilla "We don't have time then. We have to explain the mission"

"Right" Priscilla handed the map back to Aria, who took it back to the study "Alright everyone, listen up. We have to locate a place called Hidden Land, which is where Temporal Tower resides so Grovyle can deliver the Time Gears and unfreeze the planet"

"What do you want us to do?" Zach asked.

"Research everything you possibly can to find clues about the Hidden Land" Priscilla replied, fidgeting with her old Gold Ribbon Aria gave back to her "Me and Silvin already talked to Treasure Town's elder, Torkoal for information"

"What did he say?" Zelot prompted.

"He said that he knew about it and that Hidden Land was a legend only passed down by oral tradition" I recalled "He said it lies beyond the sea in a hidden place"

"Wow, real shocker…" Henry muttered "The Hidden Land is hidden. Mind blown"

"He mentioned that the Hidden Land only allows the chosen to find it" Priscilla continued.

"So it's like all those stories with the chosen one characters" Aria was coiled for some reason. Maybe it was comfortable?

"Yes, but this is what Torkoal told us" Priscilla shrugged "He also said that this "chosen one" must possess certain qualifications to enter"

"What are those qualifications?" Zelot asked, leaning forward.

"Uhm… Torkoal sorta forgot" I said sheepishly and Zelot slapped his forehead "Hey, cut him some slack. Torkoal's an old man"

"Yes, but why now of all times must he forget?" Zelot buried his head in his hands and sighed "The entire world's fate hinges on this old man's memory!"

"Relax Zelot. You've been far too anxious as of late" Sara scowled "We still have time. Perhaps Torkoal will remember what the qualifications were"

"Hey, didn't Torkoal say something about needing proof?" I asked Priscilla "I remember him tilting his head and saying "Oh right! You need proof!""

"But what is this proof?" Aria asked anxiously.

"Erm… he forgot again" Priscilla sighed and everyone shared a collective groan "That's why I didn't bring it up earlier"

"Is that all Torkoal told you?" Ezra asked.

"Yes, that's it. We were about to fly back to the guild to report our info" I said "Priscilla suggested we stop by Lush Prairie along the way to check if you guys were here. Now here we are"

"Oh! Then sorry for delaying your return then" Zelot apologized "So you want us to research anything about the Hidden Land?"

"Yes, we need as many clues as we can to find it" Priscilla looked over everyone in the circle "The fate of the world is at stake here and we need all the aid we can get. No slacking off from this point!"

"Hey, at least give us an inspiring speech, not a threatening one!" Henry joked and everyone laughed, even Priscilla.

"I know all of you can do it" I looked over everyone just like the Eevee beside me with a smile "Though you may not play a part in the final fight with Dialga, you WILL be contributing to the rescue of the planet"

"That's better!" Henry said proudly.

"I'm afraid we're out of time. We have to return to the guild now" Priscilla got off the log bench, tucking her Gold Ribbon in her Treasure Bag "We'll be back as often as we can"

"I'm glad to hear that. Now it's time for you to go" Zelot and Sara escorted us back to the camp's entrance and bade us farewell. As we were walking back, Priscilla snuggled beside me.

"Everyone's changed in the team, didn't they?" she said.

"Yeah, but I think this is a one of those good changes" I looked back at the grassy hills and fertile trees of Lush Prairie behind us, the camp getting smaller and smaller "Everyone's talking and working together more than ever. Zach has grown as a leader and Niko, Ezra and Aria are more talkative"

"I noticed Niko and Aria, but Ezra?" Priscilla looked at me with a confused gaze "She's as silent as ever"

"Maybe I'm wrong, but if you're surrounded by people of the same traits, those traits will rub onto you as well" I replied "I suspect Ezra's more sociable than she's letting on now"

"Ah well, let's hope you're right" Priscilla got closer to me, rubbing her soft fur against my chest "Carry me back to the guild?"

"Do I have to?" I pouted.

"I'll give you a kiss when we're back"

"Oh boy, can't refuse an offer like that" I muttered sarcastically, but obliged anyways, carrying the light Eevee back to Treasure Town.

"While going to the future was a terrifying experience, I think it changed us for the better" I thought to myself "Not just me and Priscilla. Everyone at camp too. Our abduction rose hope, awareness and revolution to save the planet. I couldn't be happier"

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 41_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 39_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **Our first "filler chapter full of dialogue" in a while. This was mostly written to explain what the rest of Team Skylar was doing while Silvin and Priscilla were in the future, along with showing how much the duo's abduction weighed on them. All in all, I personally think it was a great chapter for fleshing out the other characters of Team Skylar. Up next is more dialogue followed by Brine Cave, so favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!**


	26. Chapter 25: Lost Legends

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 25: Lost Legends

"Hmm… so Torkoal couldn't provide us with much answers…" Chatot sighed after we gave our report and everyone gathered around "That's too bad"

"Oh no, that's not entirely true!" Wigglytuff interrupted "We know that we need proof! And knowing that is a step forward!"

"Optimistic as always Wigglytuff" I clasped my hands together "But the big question here is: What is this proof Torkoal spoke about?"

"Uhm… could we resume this conversation tomorrow?" Loudred yawned "I'm hungry AND tired from searching today. I could go for a good dinner and night's rest"

"Hey, hey! Same for me!" Corphish nodded "Let eat, rest up and continue our investigations tomorrow!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright fine" Priscilla sighed "Me and Silvin decided to stay at Team Skylar's camp for a night for a sort of reunion. Come find us in Lush Prairie if you need us"

"Very well" Chatot nodded "Come back early in the morning. You aren't officially discharged from the guild yet"

"Of course" Priscilla nodded in understanding "We'll be back as early as we can"

"Enjoy dinner everyone!" I called as me and Priscilla climbed the ladder and headed back to camp.

…

"Henry, eat slower. You're chowing down like four Oran Berries at once" Zach scolded.

"Hey, I can't help myself! These roasted berries are really good!" Henry replied with his mouth full.

"Ugh, could you at least swallow before talking?" Ezra shook her head "You're as disrespectful as a common barbarian Henry"

"Ouch, a rose with thorns, aren't you…" Henry swallowed and turned to Zach "But anyway, why didn't you tell me they were THIS good sooner?"

"I did! And you just continued eating them raw!" Zach countered, then turned his eyes back to the roaring bonfire "Looks like the chicken is ready"

"Oh boy, my favourite!" Henry licked his beak.

"I'm surprised you're still hungry after all those berries" Aria remarked "I mean, I ate like two Sitrus Berries and I think I can only handle three pieces of roast chicken"

"Well, you're a dragon snake… serpent… reptile… Whatever!" Henry shrugged "You probably have a small stomach"

"You should too" Sara commented "I mean, you're pretty small yourself"

"Ha, you should see my old grandpa" Henry laughed "He's taller than my father! I hope to be like him someday…"

"What Pokemon was he?" Aria asked curiously.

"A Staraptor. They're huge, have giant grey wings and an awesome red mohawk… spike thingie" Henry tilted his head "I dunno how to describe it"

"One day, you'll be like that" Zach said with an amused smile before taking the spit out of the flames, sliding the roasted chicken off onto a large plate "Won't be soon though"

"Huh?! What are you saying?"

"Just teasing Henry. Relax"

"Hmm… I wonder what's the proof Silvin and Priscilla talked about" Sara stared into the dark night sky, thousands of stars lighting up the gloom "Did you find anything Ezra and Niko?"

"I went around Treasure Town and talked to everyone I could" Ezra bit her lip with discontent "They all said they knew nothing about Hidden Land"

"I went through every history book we had with Aria" Niko popped a Persim Berry into his mouth "None of them said anything about the Hidden Land"

"There WAS a vague clue in "The Origin and Creation of the Universe" though" Aria reminded Niko "It said that Dialga maintains the time stream of the entire world from Temporal Tower, which is located on Hidden Land"

"But that doesn't-"

"Let me finish Henry" Aria chided "According to the book, it said that Hidden Land can only be reached by the "chosen one who rides the ship of rainbows""

"Ship of rainbows…?" I slapped my forehead "That's sounds too much like a fairy tale"

"Wah! Where did you two come from?!" Aria leaped in surprise.

"Ha ha, you guys were all deep in discussion. We didn't want to interrupt so suddenly" I laughed, as me and Priscilla joined in at the campfire "Anyways, this "ship of rainbows" sounds too much like a fairy tale. Are you sure the book's legit?"

"Well, the same book details how Arceus shaped the world and created Dialga and Palkia to maintain time and space" Aria tilted her head "So I wouldn't call it a fairy tale"

"Did the history book tell who this "chosen one" was or how to find the "ship of rainbows"?" Priscilla asked.

"N-no unfortunately" Aria frowned "Sorry to disappoint you, but that's all the book stated about the Hidden Land. After that line, it went on to describe Dialga's powers and what he does to keep the time stream in balance"

"Damn, looks like we aren't getting much" I curled one hand into a fist "Let's review what info we have so far. Ezra, you have a pen and paper?"

"Always do" Ezra produced an ebony black pen and sheet of paper from her bag. She pressed the pen point to the paper and stared at me expectantly "Well? List our current facts. I'll write them down for you"

"Thank you Ezra" I nodded, then cleared my throat "So we know that in order to reach Hidden Land, you must be a person possessing certain qualities and proof"

"Mm hmm. Continue" Ezra said while scribbling notes onto her paper.

"This chosen one is able to ride the ship of rainbows to reach the Hidden Land" I continued then frowned "That's all we got?"

"Uhh… yeah…" Priscilla sighed "One day worth of investigation and we got three facts relating to Hidden Land. All these facts do it open up more questions"

"Like what qualities and proof do you need to reach Hidden Land?" Sara asked "And what's this ship of rainbows?"

"I don't know" Priscilla buried her face into her paws "And this is the time where I hate saying "I don't know" the most"

"Let's not put ourselves down just because our progress is slow" Niko said soothingly.

"But the world-"

"Silvin, I know the world is at stake and slow progress means we might run out of time" Niko cut me off "But there's no point in getting depressed over it. It just means we need to work twice as hard the next day to find anything we can. We still have time. Hope is still alive"

"... You're right Niko. You're absolutely right" Priscilla rose her head and gave everyone an inspiring smile "Once me and Silvin leave back to the guild tomorrow morning, I want all of you to continue investigating the Hidden Land. Forget rescue and outlaw capture missions. Just devote all your energy to finding clues of the land's whereabouts"

"Understood" everyone nodded.

Dinner then took a lighter tone as everyone talked with those beside them, commenting on the beautiful stars, talking about the next plan of action or just simply bantering. I took a spot next to Zach, who was tearing away at a large chuck of chicken.

"Easy there Zach. You wouldn't want to bite off more than you can chew" I gave the Shinx an amused smile as I sat down beside him on the log, popping a Chesto Berry into my mouth.

"Well, it's been a rough day, so I'm hungrier than usual" Zach shrugged "You can't fault my stomach for barking at a roasted chicken"

"Ha, ha, that's true" I laughed as I tore a small strip of chicken and ate it "So… how was running the team?"

"It was stressful to say the least" Zach replied "I mean, everyone here can take care of themselves, but you and Priscilla being gone weighed down on us a lot. It caused more angry outbursts and fights between us"

"That isn't good" I bit my lip, ashamed that me and Priscilla caused so much stress to everyone "But it seems like everyone made up now. Niko, Ezra and Aria are talking much more than before"

"Henry's as energetic and hotheaded as usual" Zach pointed to Henry sneaking behind Priscilla to nab another roasted berry from her plate. The Eevee was distracted, talking to Aria, so the Starly easily stole the food.

"More like sneaky and loves food" I noted "Is this his first time eating roasted berries?"

"Yes in fact. I finally convinced him to have it" Zach sounded proud of himself "Before you two came back, Henry used to eat all his meals raw. He ended up in sickbay for food poisoning. Poor Ezra had to deal with his groaning for hours"

"Speaking of Ezra, how is she like?" I glanced over to the Absol quietly talking to Niko "I never got the chance for a proper conversation with her"

"Ezra's… pretty different from the rest of us" Zach admitted "She's quiet, analytic and seems to do things mostly for her personal benefit. Ezra told Niko that your abduction was nothing more than a good opportunity to research legendary Pokemon"

"Well, I wouldn't blame her for thinking like that" I shrugged "She's been in our team for less than a week and a half and even then, me and Priscilla rarely talked to her. I can understand that she doesn't have as much love and trust towards us as you and the others do"

"That's not to say she's antisocial though" Zach continued "In fact, Niko seems to be the one person Ezra opens up to. She sometimes gets frustrated at Aria because of her naivety and childish nature, but I think Ezra secretly enjoys her company"

"Speaking of Aria, how is she? Like Ezra, me and Priscilla never had a proper conversation with her" I said as I turned my eyes to the Dratini chatting with Priscilla.

"She's cheerful and eager to help, but somewhat naive and childish" Zach explained, stacking his plate atop the others in front of the campfire "She kinda has a split personality disorder. On one hand, she's as analytic and smart as Ezra. On the other, she's peppy, cheerful and always a ray of sunshine to the others, being a sort of lovely child they never had"

"Interesting. It seems that Aria's on the "peppy, cheerful and ray of sunshine" personality right now" I noticed "Judging by how enthusiastically she's talking to Priscilla at the moment"

"What do you think they're talking about?"

"... I don't think I have the right to answer that question Zach. It's umm… girl talk"

"Well, Aria just asked a question and Priscilla blushed madly. Think you know what they're talking about?"

"Crushes?"

"Based on Aria's current mood, I think she asked "So when are you and Silvin getting married?"" Zach held an amused smile on his face "You can never tell with that girl. It's either she's teasing or so childish that she blurts out these questions with a straight face"

"Hopefully the former" I made eye contact with Priscilla as she struggled to form a response and cracked a knowing smile "So… do you fancy anyone Zach?"

"Me? No, not yet" Zach shook his head "I mean, I think every girl in the team is set with their pairings already. You have Priscilla, Niko has Ezra and I think Henry will get Aria?"

"You "think"?" I arched my eyebrows in confusion.

"Henry told me he liked Aria before" the Shinx shrugged "He called her "cute, smart and had a sweet-sounding voice""

"Did Henry and Aria do anything together while we were gone?" I asked, cupping my hand under my chin.

"Hmm… yeah, they did" Zach nodded "Aria and Henry were firm believers that you two were still alive, so they often undertook missions when the others were too depressed or tired to do so. Their cheerfulness and happy attitudes lit up everyone's day"

"And I guess that's how Henry fell in love with her" I guessed.

"I suppose so" Zach shrugged "Are you done your dinner?"

"Huh? Oh, I guess I am" I handed Zach my plate for him to add to the stack "Now where am I going to be sleeping for the night?"

"Come with me, I'll show you your tent" Zach led me away from the bonfire and towards a red rectangular tent in between two tall trees at the back of camp. Inside were two beds complete with thick gray blankets and feather pillows. There were several storage crates for items and equipment, along with short racks on the tent's walls for other gear.

"Wait… why are there two beds if this is my room?" I asked Zach.

"Oh umm… Sara and Aria wanted a tent for you and Priscilla if you were to come back" Zach bit his lip "I mean, both you and Priscilla DO have personal tents, but you two can share this one if you like"

"Guess I'll talk it over with Priscilla later" I shrugged "Mind showing me around the camp? We didn't have a lot of time this afternoon"

"Of course Silvin" the Shinx nodded earnestly "Follow me"

Zach showed me the study on the left side of camp. He said that Sara, Ezra, Niko and Aria were always there when they did their research.

"Think of it as our library of sorts" Zach explained "We have our large wooden table for meetings and storage crates full of books for research or read-alouds at the bonfire"

"What do you guys usually read at the read alouds?" I asked.

"Oh, anything really" Zach replied "We pick someone to read aloud for the night and they go choose a book. They usually come up with either horror or fantasy tales"

"That sounds exciting. I'm looking forward to the next read aloud" I smiled.

"Rest assured, we'll hold another one once this crisis is over" Zach promised, then gestured behind him "Let me show you the training yard"

The Shinx led me to a large square clearing surrounded by wooden fences and trees. There were a few smashed training dummies littering the ground, but a few remained standing. The dummies on the ground were either cut in half, had a large hole in their chests, pulsing with leftover electricity or peaked to shreds.

"It looks pretty plain looking right now, but we use it often" Zach explained, kicking a broken dummy to the side "We train ourselves against the dummies or spar against each other"

Zach walked ahead into the training yard and turned to me, eyes blazing with determination.

"Now if you don't mind, I want to fight you Silvin" Zach requested, his claws sparking with electric energy "If the future is really as you say, then it's a place nobody should survive. I want to see how strong you have become since that incident"

"Very well then Zach. On your ready" I got into battle stance and curled both hands into fists.

"Here I come then" Zach lunged forward, leaving a trail of blue electricity. I held out both hands and stopped Zach dead in his tracks with my palms.

"What- How did you-"

"Force Palm!"

I unleashed a burst of purple light from my palm right into Zach's face, blasting the Shinx far backwards, but he recovered quickly, shaking the dirt off his body.

"Looks like my assumption was right. You've really gotten stronger" Zach crouched down, pulsing with blue electricity "But the same can be said for me. Let's continue"

Zach lunged again, but zigzagged side to side to confuse me. Before I could pick a side to guard from, Zach sank his fangs into my left arm with Thunder Fang, zapping me with tenfolds of voltage.

"Grah… Damn…" I fell to one knee, struggling to raise a counterattack in my paralyzed state. Zach simply stared at me with a neutral expression, leftover static billowing around him.

"Don't think I'm finished so fast" I lunged in a burst of white light with Quick Attack and punched Zach in the face with my right hand, sending him flying back. The Shinx landed perfectly on his feet and continued his assault, slashing at me with electrified claws or bites. I quickly stepped away from his strikes and retaliated despite my paralyzed arm.

"Big mistake" I darted back as Zach swiped an electrified claw towards me. I've been slowly charging my Focus Punch for a while now and it was ready to be unleashed. Before the Shinx could attack again, I slammed my Focus Punch into Zach's side, completely knocking him unconscious.

"I might of hit too hard with that…" I shook my smoking hand to loosen it up. I even restrained Focus Punch's power to avoid smashing Zach's bones, but it still knocked him unconscious. I should be careful with it during sparring matches in the future.

"Silvin?! Zach?!" I heard Priscilla's voice nearby and cocked my head to face them.

"We're in the training yard!" I called and the Eevee came onto the scene, alongside Aria.

"What were you two doing?" Priscilla asked, then looked at Zach with surprise "Don't tell me you accidentally killed Zach"

"He challenged me to a sparring match earlier" I explained. The paralyzation on my left arm began to wore off and I could swing it around freely "We fought for a while and I landed a Focus Punch on him. He's only unconscious"

"I could hear raspy breathing from him" Aria remarked "So Silvin didn't kill him. Let's take him to the infirmary for Ezra to treat him"

"Good idea" I nodded as I picked up the limp Shinx.

"But next time, try not to use Focus Punch in sparring matches" Aria ordered "You restrained its power when you attacked Zach, right?"

"Yeah, I did"

"Then don't use it. If you can't restrain its power in time, you could end up killing someone" Priscilla chided "I saw you crush skulls and boulders with that move. I wouldn't want the same thing happening to our friends"

"I know. I promise not to use it in our training matches" I promised "Oh by the way Priscilla, Zach showed me a tent for me and you. Do you… want to be with me tonight?"

"Did you even need to ask Silvin?" Priscilla whispered so Aria wouldn't hear "Of course I'll be with you tonight. We're… together after all"

"Right" I nodded with a smile on my face "What are you going to do with your personal tent though?"

"Probably use it for storage" Priscilla admitted "Other than that, I'll leave it be for other Pokemon we might recruit"

"Guess I'm doing the same with my tent" I shrugged as we entered camp. The others worriedly asked what happened to Zach, but I replied that we were simply sparring and I knocked Zach unconscious. Niko and Henry slowly backed away with fear on their faces when I told them that.

"Relax guys. I promised not to use Focus Punch during our spars" I said to Niko and Henry "That's not to say my other moves aren't powerful though"

"If you could beat Zach in a one on one fight, you're stronger than nearly everyone in the camp" Henry replied "Before you two came back, only Zelot and Sara could beat Zach"

"Well, you shouldn't be discouraged from challenging me just because I'm good at fighting" I said after dropping Zach off in the infirmary for Ezra to treat "After all, you have the type advantage against me Henry"

"Hey, you're right!" Henry flapped in triumph "Wanna have a go Silvin?"

I yawned "Sorry, maybe next time. I'm pretty tired right now"

"Oh alright then. Go to sleep then" Henry patted me on the back with his wing. It felt surprisingly soft and comfy "You know where your tent is, right?"

"Yeah, Zach already told me" I nodded "Goodnight everyone!"

"Goodnight!"

I went towards me and Priscilla's tent on the far end of camp. Priscilla already went ahead after I dropped Zach off at the infirmary and I found her trying to push her bed towards mine.

"What are you doing Priscilla?" I asked and the Eevee turned towards me, blushing.

"Uhm… I just thought we should… sleep together" Priscilla stammered "I mean, if you don't want to, I understand, but…"

I walked forward and gave Priscilla a gentle kiss on the forehead "I don't remember you being a nstuttering mess Priscilla"

"Sorry. It's just such an awkward question" Priscilla slumped "I mean, I'm asking you if you want to sleep in the same bed as me. That's basically asking them for sex"

"Well, we both know we aren't going to do that" I replied, rubbing Priscilla's ears playfully "We don't have time for a baby right now"

"So will you… umm… sleep with me?"

"We can zip up the tent so nobody sees. It's just you and me tonight"

"Perfect. Now if you could just help me push this bed…"

I pushed Priscilla bed into mine, forming a double bed large enough for both me and Priscilla to sleep in together. Once that was done, I zipped the tent close and both of us got into bed, pulling the blankets over each other as we snuggled next to each other.

"So Priscilla, what do you think of the camp?" I asked as I felt Priscilla's soft fur brush against my chest.

"It's incredible. It has everything a exploration team needs in a camp, its in a nice secluded forest and the air feels so fresh here" Priscilla replied "Plus, it was constructed by the hands of all our friends in an effort to strengthen Team Skylar despite our disappearance"

"Oh, I forgot to ask Zach earlier, but maybe you heard" I brushed the Eevee's fur with my hand gently "Why did the others move the camp here from Sharpedo Bluff?"

"Once Aria was recruited, they found that there wasn't enough room on Sharpedo Bluff for all the tents and supply crates" Priscilla explained "Henry recalled me planning to move the camp to Lush Prairie, so he told Zelot and Zach and the camp moved"

"Oh I see. So that's why we didn't see the camp at Sharpedo Bluff" I said "Well, I think I like it here better. The wind is calmer and isn't going to be as intense as the bluff is during a storm"

"Yeah, you're right" Priscilla nuzzled my chin "I'm going to miss the sound of the waves though"

"Me too, but we have the wind rustling through the trees and the birds chirping to make up for it" I eased myself into my pillow and felt my eyelids beginning to close "I'm getting sleepy now"

"Me too. Guess we should turn in for the night" Priscilla rested her head on my chest "We have to go back to the guild first thing in the morning, so wake me up once you hear the birds chirping"

"... Any reason why you're using my chest as a pillow instead of well… your pillow?" I asked as I drew the blanket a bit closer to me.

"Your body is comfier" the Eevee replied with a content smile, then closed her eyes "Goodnight Silvin"

"Goodnight Priscilla" I sighed and closed my eyes, dozing off into a deep slumber.

…

At the crack of dawn, I woke Priscilla up from her sleep and left camp before anyone else woke up, leaving behind a note in our tent that we were going back to the guild. We arrived just as Chatot was finishing his morning briefing.

"Ahem! So in short…" Chatot summed up "The Hidden Land remains a mystery, but we're not giving up. Let's get out there and investigate twice as hard today!"

"HOORAY!" everyone cheered and dispersed.

"Silvin, Priscilla! You're late!" Chatot snapped, irritated once he noticed us.

"We came as early as we could Chatot. Sorry about that" Priscilla cocked her head to the morning sun slowly rising into the cloudy sky "We woke up at the crack of dawn and the walk here from Lush Prairie is a bit long on foot"

"Oh well. There's no time to scold you about it" Chatot shrugged "Anyway, you two should be investigating-"

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!" Diglett interrupted.

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?" Loudred hollered down the sentry hole.

"The footprint belong to… Torkoal, the town elder!" Diglett announced.

"Huh? Torkoal is here?" Priscilla looked at me with a surprised expression "That means he must of remembered something!"

A few minutes later, Torkoal was on the second floor along with everyone else. The old man was panting like he spent days walking here. Given his age and appearance, I wouldn't be surprised.

"Finally… I caught up with you…" Torkoal huffed "Climbing up the guild stairway is rough on these old bones"

"What brings you here Torkoal?" Priscilla asked "Did you perhaps remember something?"

"Indeed I did. But it's tiny at best" Torkoal apologized "Yesterday, I contemplated the waters of the Hot Spring for a long time. Finally, one recollection resurfaced"

"Really now? Please tell us!" Priscilla pleaded.

"But I worry that it's too small" Torkoal protested "I wonder if its even worthwhile sharing with you"

"Anything would help Torkoal. Besides, you already made the journey here on foot" I said "I would be a waste to not share your info now"

"Very well then. When we spoke of the Hidden Land yesterday, I said you needed proof of your qualification to enter" Torkoal began "I remember a bit more of this proof. The proof… bears an inscription of a certain pattern"

"A certain pattern…?" Priscilla murmured under her breath.

"Hey, hey! So what kind of pattern would that be?" Corphish asked.

"Er… how can I describe it?" Torkoal wondered aloud "All I can tell you is that the pattern is intricate and odd. It's peculiar too, one you would rarely see"

"Hmm… that doesn't really point us anywhere" Chimecho said "It's hard to even imagine an intricate pattern!"

"An intricate, odd and peculiar pattern you rarely see…" Priscilla opened her Treasure Bag and brought out her Relic Fragment "Does this ring any bells Torkoal?"

"Oh! T-this is it!" Torkoal gasped, surprised "This is the exact pattern! Where did you find this?"

"It crash landed atop my house one day" Priscilla explained "I found it half buried in the earth"

"... Atop your house…?" Corphish murmured in confusion.

"I lived in a chamber at the side of a cliff" Priscilla said and Corphish nodded in understanding.

"So this Priscilla has this, does that mean she's qualified to go to Hidden Land?" Sunflora asked.

"That I wouldn't know. Maybe yes, maybe no" Torkoal answered "To go to Hidden Land, one must surely possess that proof. But that doesn't mean the bearer of the proof really possesses the qualifications to be well… chosen"

"So you're saying the Relic Fragment is like the physical key to Hidden Land?" I asked.

"More or less"

"There's no question that this pattern has something to do with the Hidden Land?" Wigglytuff pressed "Knowing only that is a lot!"

"I suppose so…" Torkoal studied the Relic Fragment, then gasped "Wait. you do realize Hidden Land is only a spoken legend, right? You aren't trying to go there, are you?"

"Yes, we are!" Wigglytuff replied cheerfully.

"My goodness!" Torkoal cried in surprise "I didn't expect that!"

"Chatot, this pattern…" Wigglytuff turned to Chatot "We've seen it before, did we?"

"Y-yes" Chatot nodded "In the sea inlet to the northwest, Brine Cave…"

"Something wrong Chatot? You're having trouble forming sentences" Priscilla noticed.

"But Guildmaster! That place…" Chatot dropped to a low whisper "That was where-"

"Yes, I know. The vicious bandit was there" Wigglytuff nodded.

"A vicious…" Sunflora murmured.

"... bandit?! Golly!" Bidoof finished.

"Everyone, please listen!" Wigglytuff turned to us "I once saw this pattern in a place called Brine Cave. I think we can discover more by taking the Relic Fragment there"

"But there's one problem Guildmaster" Chimecho piped up "The vicious bandit you talked about"

"Hey, hey! We're not going to let that scare us!" Corphish cried.

"Aren't we explorers?" Loudred asked everyone.

"We all need to be brave!" Sunflora rallied.

"Thanks everyone!" Wigglytuff grinned "But Brine Cave is challenging. You should take time today to prepare. We'll set off to Brine Cave tomorrow!"

"HOORAY!"

"Ho, ho, ho, I thought the Hidden Land was nothing more than folklore!" Torkoal exclaimed to us after everyone began to leave to prepare "Getting old has made my thinking so inflexible. This all makes me remember the days of when I dreamt of romance and adventure!"

"Romance and adventure… days when the world wasn't at stake" I murmured.

"Help me see my dreams again and do your best! Ho, ho, ho!" Torkoal smiled and began to slowly climb up the ladder to leave.

"Thank you Torkoal!" Wigglytuff called.

"Oh ho, it was nothing" Torkoal replied "It's my pleasure to help!"

"Okay everyone! Spend the rest of the day getting ready!" Wigglytuff ordered "Okay, dismissed!"

"HOORAY!"

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 41_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 39_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **Again with another dialogue-filled chapter. Nothing interesting here, aside from a conversation and duel between Silvin and Zach. Coming up next is Brine Cave, so follow and favorite if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	27. Chapter 26: First Farewells

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 26: First Farewells

After everyone left to prepare, Wigglytuff turned to Chatot.

"Chatot, you'll be staying at the guild tomorrow on standby!" Wigglytuff ordered.

"G-Guildmaster! Forgive me if I'm out of line, but…" Chatot pleaded "Please let me go to Brine Cave!"

Wigglytuff frowned and shook his head "Nope! I can't let you face danger like that ever again"

"But that's why I need to go!" Chatot protested "Please allow me to go to Brine Cave!"

"... Okay" Wigglytuff sighed "Then I want you to go with Team Skylar tomorrow. Guide Silvin's team to the place where we saw that strange pattern. But I want you to be careful"

"Thank you! I won't let you down!" Chatot grinned with joy.

"Another thing, I have something I need to do, so I'm going out" Wigglytuff informed "You're in charge while I'm gone"

"As you wish" Chatot nodded in understanding.

As Wigglytuff walked back into his chambers, Chatot turned to us. I sorta regretted eavesdropping on their conversation now.

"So that's how it stands. You two will be with me tomorrow" Chatot said "Exploration teams usually move in groups of four max, so you may bring a non guild member of Team Skylar along with us"

"Alright, that's good. I know exactly who to bring with us" Priscilla glanced at me "Hey Silvin. Who has blue skin, yellow wool and knows Discharge?"

"Niko" I answered "Oh, I see. Chatot, is Brine Cave full of Water type Pokemon?"

"Brine is water mixed with salt. What do you think?" Chatot replied sharply.

"Right, so Brine Cave is full of Water Pokemon" I sighed "You didn't need to be so harsh. Just say "Yes, Brine Cave is full of Water Pokemon""

"I expected you to know based on the name!" Chatot hissed irritably "But anyways, Brine Cave has a vicious foe lying in wait. You must not let your guard down and don't do anything that keeps me from succeeding there!"

"Gods, just say "Don't hold me back!"" I slapped my forehead "Ugh, whatever. Priscilla, we're going back to camp to talk to Niko and gather supplies"

"Right behind you"

…

Torkoal slowly hiked down the guild entry staircase towards the crossroads, humming a tune from years gone by.

"Oh, to be young again!" Torkoal said to himself "If I was younger, I'd certainly join the challenge to find Hidden Land!"

"Whoa-ho-ho! Hold it right there, old-timer!" a voice cackled nearby.

"Wh-who is it?!" Torkoal cried in surprise.

Out of nowhere, a Skuntank, Zubat and Koffing came from the right path, surrounding Torkoal instantly.

"Wha-what is it? What do you want?" Torkoal demanded fearfully.

"Chaw-ha-ha! Well, we're Team Skull!" Skuntank announced.

"Heh-heh. Did you have business with Wigglytuff's Guild, old-timer?" Zubat asked.

"Whoa-ho-ho! I overheard you say something that sounds like fun!" Koffing cackled "Come now, tell us about it"

"It was something about the Hidden Land, right? Chaw-ha-ha!" Skuntank pressed.

"... I was… I was only…" Torkoal mumbled before Zubat jerked behind him and noticed a Riolu and Eevee coming down the stairs.

"Someone's coming!" Zubat cried.

"Whoa-ho-ho! Guild chumps?" Koffing laughed.

"Old-timer, why don't we take this chat to somewhere where we won't be disturbed? Chaw-ha-ha!" without word from Torkoal, Skuntank and his goons dragged the old turtle Pokemon away.

…

"Oh right!" Priscilla tapped my arm once we reached the crossroads "We should visit Sharpedo Bluff in case Grovyle came back"

"Good idea" I nodded and we raced back to Sharpedo Bluff, finding that nothing has changed since we first left. The only thing different was a note lying on the ground.

"Hey, I found a note here!" I picked up the paper and tried to read it, but I wasn't written in English "What language is this…"

"Let me see" Priscilla snatched the paper from me and looked it over "It's in footprint runes and… it's a letter from Grovyle!"

"Really? Read it!"

"I know, I know! I am!" Priscilla huffed "Don't be so impatient!"

"Hey, you can't blame me for being excited"

"Whatever. I'll read it aloud" Priscilla cleared her throat and began to read the letter.

"Dear Silvin and Priscilla: How are you doing? How goes your search for the Hidden Land? Things have been going well on my end. I already collected three Time Gears and I'm still hunting for the other two. I'll rejoin you when I've collected all five. Plans have proceeded smoothly. Azelf and the other guardians understood the situation and willingly gave up the Time Gears to me with their full cooperation. Azelf mentioned that the guild members let him know I was coming, so thank you for that. It's heartwarming to know that more and more Pokemon are coming to trust us. However, I will continue to stay away from Treasure Town and the guild, as every day in this quest counts. Plus, I'm not entirely sure the Pokemon of this world trust me or not. But there's a more troubling matter at hand…"

"What can be more troubling than this…?" I wondered aloud.

"Dusknoir is liable to return from the future anytime" Priscilla replied with Grovyle's message "Since Dusknoir is coming, we should keep a low profile. That is another reason I have to stay away from Treasure Town and the guild. When I DO come, I might only go to Sharpedo Bluff or the beach, so go there if you want to see me and exchange info. Best of luck to you and together, we'll prevent the planet's paralysis. Sincerely, Grovyle"

"Well, Grovyle's definitely working hard" I remarked "So according to the letter, Grovyle will only show up either here or at the beach. Let's check the beach quickly before we go back to camp to see if he's here"

A few minutes later, we were down at the beach with the afternoon sun blazing beside us. The sand was burning under my feet and I had to do a silly jump-walk to get around. Priscilla was smart to walk in the wayside, where the sea would splash under her feet and cool the sand.

"Hm, seems like Grovyle isn't here" Priscilla said, looking around the rough rocks of Beach Cave to see if he was hiding somewhere "Also, the Krabby aren't here either. They are usually beginning to blow bubbles by this time"

"I thought they only came during the sunset" I said, stepping into the surf to avoid toasting my feet permanently.

"They do, but Krabby hang around here during the afternoon" Priscilla explained "It's like a ritual for them. They act like normal Krabby during the day, but blow bubbles when the sun sets"

"I see" I gazed at the endless sea ahead of me "Well, looks like Grovyle isn't here. We should go to camp"

"Wait, hold on a second" Priscilla squinted and pointed forward "Do you see that over that?"

"What? Where?"

"That shape on the horizon. It's like a ship or Pokemon riding the sea" Priscilla pointed and I followed her gaze, seeing a small shadow on the horizon, veiled by the sunlight. We trudged deeper into the sea and noticed that the shadow wasn't a ship at all, but a Pokemon. The Pokemon was blue with a long neck and had a gray shell covered in small bumps.

"What Pokemon is that? I've never seen it before…" I murmured.

"Lapras, the transport Pokemon" Priscilla replied "But what's it doing here? I heard Lapras are incredibly rare"

"Well, there is goes" I watched the Lapras pass by Sharpedo Bluff and vanished from our sight "Now would be a good time to go back to camp"

"Yeah, you're right. We've spent enough time here" Priscilla stepped back onto the sand to dry her feet "Let's go"

As we left, Team Skull revealed themselves from behind a large rock behind us.

"Chaw-ha-ha! The Krabby weren't here for good reason!" Skuntank laughed "They ran off! Scared of us! Chaw-ha-ha!"

"Heh-heh-heh. I still can't believe the old junk we stole from that Eevee girl back then could be so valuable" Zubat remarked "How did the old timer say it again?"

"The key to Hidden Land is the rock with the intricate pattern that the Eevee holds" Skuntank recalled "And what was so special about her rock again Koffing?"

"It had a strange pattern on it, boss!" Koffing said "White, intricate and one you'll rarely see. Everything that old man told us about!"

"Chaw-ha-ha. Let's mess with them then" Skuntank cackled "We'll steal the… what was it called again?"

"Relic Fragment, according to Torkoal" Zubat said.

"Right, we'll steal the Relic Fragment from those two" Skuntank continued "And then Hidden Land won't be explored by those chumps. Instead, it'll be us! Team Skull!"

"Whoa-ho-ho!"

"Heh-heh-heh!"

…

The Lapras slowly rode the calm sea until reaching a shoreline far below Treasure Town, a shoreline many don't even know exist.

"Lapras! Long time no see!" Wigglytuff greeted as the waves splashed his feet beneath the sand.

"It's been too long Wigglytuff. You look well" Lapras replied with a gentle smile "Is Chatot doing well too?"

"Yes! Very well!" Wigglytuff nodded vigorously.

"I'm glad to hear that" Lapras stared at the clear blue sky beside him "I've always meant to thank you for the promise you made and upheld for all this time"

"No problem! No big deal!" Wigglytuff grinned, then turned serious "But today, I am here to see you about that promise. We're in a situation where we cannot afford to uphold that promise anymore and I suspect you know why"

"... I see. What would you like to know?"

"Tell me… about the strange pattern we saw in Brine Cave"

...

Zelot quickly back stepped to avoid Aria's Aqua Tail. They've been training in the training yard for a while now, with Zelot tutoring the young Dratini mid fight.

"Don't jump and attempt to strike from above with Aqua Tail" Zelot dodged a quick Dragon Rush "Unless your opponent is distracted, your Aqua Tail airstrike will be avoided nearly every time"

"If you intend to use Aqua Tail or Dragon Rush excessively, try to sweep it under their legs to trip them up!" Sara called and Aria tried that, sweeping her water-imbued tail under Zelot's feet. The Gallade quickly jumped to avoid it and retaliated with a weak Leaf Blade. Aria fell back and rapidly moved her body from side to side, drastically increasing her speed with Agility.

"Try to handle this!" the Dratini lunged forward with inhuman speed and slammed Zelot's leg with Dragon Rush, knocking the Gallade to the ground. Aria pounded Zelot with Aqua Tail before jumping onto him to paralyze him with Thunder Wave. The Gallade quickly knocked Aria off before that could happen. Before the Dratini hit the ground, a Psycho Cut struck her hard, sending her sprawling into the dirt, defeated.

"Well, that Agility certainly threw me for a loop" Zelot wiped the sweat off his head and looked over everyone "Ezra, take care of Aria. Now who wants to challenge me next?"

"I would, but we have serious matters to talk about" I interrupted as me and Priscilla entered the training yard, much to the surprise of everyone.

"Oh hello Silvin and Priscilla. What are you two doing back here?" Zelot asked politely.

"Torkoal visited the guild today and we managed to piece together the clues thanks to Wigglytuff and Chatot" Priscilla explained "According to Torkoal, the proof needed to enter Hidden Land is this"

The Eevee reached into her bag and pulled out the Relic Fragment, laying it on the ground for everyone to see "You see the pattern on the top? Wigglytuff and Chatot said they saw the exact same pattern in a place called Brine Cave. So we're heading there tomorrow morning"

"Oh that's fantastic! Now we have actual ground to stand on here" Sara grinned "But why did you come back?"

"Because we want everyone to come to Brine Cave with us to find the pattern" I announced and everyone gasped, some excitement and others shock "The world is at stake and we can't afford spending too much time in Brine Cave looking around"

"So we want everyone in Team Skylar coming with us. Chatot is accompanying me and Silvin, so we decided to bring Niko with us to fill the fourth team member slot" Priscilla nodded to the electric sheep behind Zach "The rest of you, split up into groups of four to explore Brine Cave"

"Just a moment Priscilla" Zelot said, silencing everyone "We have to leave at least two people behind to watch over the camp. We wouldn't want brigands stealing our supplies, don't we?"

"Oh yeah, you're right" I sighed and looked over everyone "So who wants to stay behind?"

"I'll stay behind" Ezra volunteered "I have… personal things to research at the moment"

"Anyone else?" Priscilla asked.

"Henry, you should stay behind" Zach nudged the Starly next to him.

"Huh?! Are you doubting my power Zach?" Henry asked, flabbergasted.

"Think about it Henry. Brine Cave sounds like a dungeon full of Water type Pokemon. Everyone here except for you, Ezra and Aria have moves effective against Water types" the Shinx explained.

"Yeah, so why not let Aria watch the camp?" the Starly asked, pointing to the Dratini getting treated by Ezra "She's injured right now, so she can't participate, right?"

"Her wounds are minor at best. She'll completely heal in a few hours" Ezra reported.

"Aw, dammit…" Henry muttered.

"Also, Aria takes priority over you because she resists Water type moves due to being a dragon" Zach continued "Sorry Henry, but this is no game. We need to be optimized as much as we can"

Henry sighed "... Fine, I'll stay behind"

"Thank you Henry" I turned to everyone else "So Niko will be with me, Priscilla and Chatot. The rest of you will travel together"

"So it's me, Sara, Zach and Aria" Zelot looked at each team member individually "Alright then. So we should spend today preparing?"

"Yes. Either by stocking up on items or training" Priscilla nodded "But don't spar so hard that you injure a team member. We don't want them wounded when we leave tomorrow"

"Then we can put off sparring for today" Niko suggested "Rebuild the dummies and train on those"

"Good idea. Zach, I want your help in building training dummies" Zelot said to the Shinx. Zach nodded and hopped off the log bench that was newly added to the training yard to gather wood with Zelot in the forest.

"There are plenty of storage crates full of items if you need to restock" Niko told us "There's a central storage tent next to the study. Inside are crates labeled "Berries", "Orbs", "Throwables", "Max Elixirs" and "Exclusive Items""

"Thanks for telling us Niko. We came by camp to restock actually" Priscilla smiled "Yesterday night, I noticed a storage bin overflowing with Oran Berries, so I thought we could draw from the camp's resources to save money"

"Well thought" Niko nodded "Oh, that reminds me. Check the Exclusive Items bin. I think Henry and Aria have something in there for you two"

"Hm, I wonder what it is…?" I checked my treasure bag and found that my Valiant Rock was still buried deep in the bottom. Whenever I was nearby the Valiant Rock, it boosted my physical and mental defenses "Well, guess we should check it out"

When we arrived at the central storage tent, we checked the Exclusive Items bin first, digging through various cards, tails, claws and fangs of many Pokemon.

"Hm, I wonder which one is ours…" Priscilla reached deep into the bin and felt something metallic. She pulled her paw free from the landmass of exclusive items, finding a dark iron ring with a light blue gem, billowing with a small wisp of ghostly blue fire.

"Hey, there's a tag on the ring" I took the ring from Priscilla and saw that the tag said "For Silvin". I squeezed the ring with my hand, but I felt no different "What's this supposed to do? I don't feel any different unlike with the Valiant Rock"

"That's an Emit Ring Silvin" Ezra strolled into the storage tent, picking up items that were littering the ground "It's an exclusive item only for Riolu. The wispy flame reveals Ghost type Pokemon and allow you to damage them with Normal and Fighting type moves"

"That would of been SO useful in Chasm Cave and Dark Hill…" I sighed, slipping the Emit Ring into my bag "Did you find your item yet Priscilla?"

"Let's see… found it!" Priscilla dug out a ruffled collar that was cycling through many different colours like a prism. "For Priscilla" was written on a tag attached to the ruff.

"That would be a Prism Ruff" Ezra explained "It's imbued with magic to project a shield whenever it's hailing or you're in a sandstorm"

"Man, that would of been helpful in the Northern Desert" Priscilla tried the Prism Ruff on, but shook her head "Eh, it doesn't fit my style. I'll just leave it in my treasure bag"

"Go ahead. All exclusive items work when you're in a nearby visicity" the Absol shrugged and reached her claw behind the "Berries" storage crate to grab a red book outlined in gold.

"What's a book doing behind there?" I asked.

Ezra sighed, flipping through the pages "Aria hid my herb book as a prank. I was scourging all around camp this morning for it and Niko finally fessed up that Aria hid it in the central storage tent. That child is causing me more trouble than she is helping me..."

"She probably did it to try and get you to loosen up" I said "After all, you seem to be the mature, serious, analytic type of Pokemon"

"Please, I don't have time to frolic around and be a carefree baby" Ezra shut her medical book "Especially in times like this"

"I'd stay to argue with you, but we have things to prepare" Priscilla shot me and expectant look while she took Oran Berries from the berry bin "That includes you Silvin"

"Then I shall take my leave then" Ezra bowed slightly "Good day and good luck on your exploration tomorrow"

By the time we were finished preparing, the sun went down and Zach and Zelot got the campfire going. We spent dinner as usual, talking and laughing among each other before going to sleep. At dawn, everyone except Ezra and Henry awoken and we went back to the guild together, where all the guild Pokemon has assembled on the second floor.

"Ahem! And so, as you're all aware…" Chatot gestured to the empty Guildmaster chamber with his wing "Wigglytuff has not returned from his errand yet. However, I intend to set off for Brine Cave as scheduled"

"Hey, hey! Where did the Guildmaster go anyways?" Corphish asked.

"I have no idea unfortunately" Chatot shook his head.

"Is it going to be okay without the Guildmaster?" Loudred piped up.

"No problem! There's no need for your concern at all!" Chatot said quickly "Guildmaster must of decided we can manage on our own without him for the time being, which is why he's not back yet"

"So who's running the guild in his absence?" Priscilla asked.

"Me!" Chatot pointed to himself.

Silence. It was so quiet that you could hear Sara's purple cloth-like body sway in the air.

"Uhh… why isn't anyone saying anything?" Chatot asked slowly, then gasped "I-it can't be! Do you think I'm not up to the task?!"

Nobody said a word.

"Come on, out with it!" Chatot demanded "Am I perhaps… perhaps inadequate?! Worthless to you?"

Uh, nope. We wouldn't say that, by golly…" Bidoof muttered.

"We don't think of you as worthless Chatot. We're just uhh… stunned that you're leading the guild now!" Sara grinned "Yeah, we're so happy that you're leading that we were stunned into silence"

"Yeah, what Sara said" Chimecho agreed "It's just that it feels less safe without the Guildmaster"

"Hey, hey! You know how hard it is to figure out the Guildmaster" Corphish began "But he really comes through when things get rough!"

"But the Guildmaster isn't with us so…" Sunflora rose her leaf-like hand into the air "We have to take charge and do as he wanted!"

"That's RIGHT! We can't count on the Guildmaster for everything!" Loudred rallied.

"Let's do our best then" Chimecho turned to Chatot "Chatot, the Guildmaster is gone, so only one among us can lead. And that's you"

"H-huh? Who? Me?" Chatot stammered.

"You said you were leading earlier" Zach muttered to himself.

"So since you're leading, show us the way Chatot!" Chimecho smiled "Lead us to Brine Cave!"

"Hey, hey! Lead us Chatot!" Corphish cheered.

"Sound the call to duty already!" Loudred cried.

"I know! I know!" Chatot straightened himself and cleared his throat "Commencing now, we shall depart on a guild expedition of Brine Cave! Let us excel together, everyone!"

"HOORAY!"

An hour later, we arrived at the entrance to Brine Cave. The ocean waves crashed intensely against the cliffside's dark red rocks and the ground was rough and layered with small bumps.

"Okay everyone, here is the entrance to Brine Cave" Chatot nodded to the cave entrance behind him "Your objective is to reach the deepest part of the dungeon, where you'll find the odd pattern inscribed on Priscilla's Relic Fragment"

"Hey, hey! What about the vicious bandit Wigglytuff talked about?" Corphish called.

"I was getting to that" Chatot sighed "In the deepest part of the dungeon, this "vicious bandit" lurks. It strikes out of nowhere, blinding you with intense water and finishes you off just as fast. Be extremely careful"

"Wait, how would you know that Chatot?" Chimecho asked "Have you been here before?"

"That's right. I have been here before" Chatot nodded "I've explored Brine Cave years ago with the Guildmaster. We found that odd pattern here, but we were attacked by the vicious bandit"

"S-so what was the vicious bandit like?" Loudred gulped "Vicious, strikes out of nowhere, blinds you with water and finishes you quickly? Anything else?"

"That's all I remember" Chatot sighed "All I remember was water blasting me out of nowhere and knocking me out"

"But if this bandit finishes its prey off quickly, then how are you still alive?" I asked.

"I don't know. When I came to, the Guildmaster was tending to my wounds" Chatot explained "But I don't remember anything of that encounter before. As such, I cannot tell what they look like"

"So we don't know what kind of enemy we're facing? We have to make our way slow then…" Sunflora murmured to herself.

"Wait a second" Priscilla realized "Chatot, you said "they". Is this "vicious bandit" more than one Pokemon?"

"... No, it was only one vicious bandit" Chatot replied "But it wasn't alone"

"So that's how-"

"Oh! I remember now" Chatot flapped "Yes, that's how I was knocked out so fast. The vicious bandit and his minions struck all at once out of nowhere. I remember being hit with water so strong that it was like a tidal wave!"

"A tidal wave… so that means Water type Pokemon" Loudred mumbled.

"We're Ground type, so we don't like water" Dugtrio said "Hope we don't need to fight enemies like that"

"It'll be awfully tough to go in here alone" Sunflora remarked.

"That's why we're forming groups of four to explore the cave" Chatot said, drawing everyone's attention back to him "When creating your team, don't bunch up types together. You need a squad capable of watching each other's backs!"

Chatot turned to us "Remember what the Guildmaster said yesterday. You two must be in my group and we're allowed one member from Team Skylar to join us. That member is…?"

"Niko, the Mareep over there" I said, pointing to Niko beside Zach "The leftover four Team Skylar members will explore Brine Cave too"

"Excellent" Chatot turned to the guild Pokemon and found that they've already split into teams of four "Alright, looks like we're set. Let's go conquer Brine Cave!"

"HOORAY!"

But not everyone was entering Brine Cave. One team trailed behind and was uninvited.

"Heh-heh-heh. Looks like the louts from the guild are already inside" Zubat informed Skuntank.

"Whoa-ho-ho. Should we follow them?" Koffing asked.

"Chaw-ha-ha. Sounds good" Skuntank nodded "We'll track them, but let's keep out of sight. When the right time comes, we grab the Relic Fragment off that wimpy Priscilla!"

"Let's do something more fun, Chief" Koffing leaned in to Skuntank's ear and whispered "I'll unleash Smokescreen and blind them, then you'll rob Priscilla's bag and take the Relic Fragment! They won't even know what hit them!"

"Chaw-ha-ha! Splendid idea Koffing!" Skuntank laughed "After taking the Relic Fragment, we'll hightail to the deepest part of the dungeon and grab all the glory for solving this mystery"

"Heh-heh-heh. Brilliant, Chief! You're plan is perfect!" Zubat praised.

"Chaw-ha-ha. Naturally!" Skuntank grinned "Anyways, it'll be us! Team Skull! We will be the ones going to Hidden Land!"

"Heh-heh-heh!"

"Whoa-ho-ho!"

"Chaw-ha-ha!"

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 41_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 39_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Chatot_

 _Level 36_

 _Moves: Peck, Mirror Move, Roost and Fury Attack_

 _IQ Level: ****_

 _\- Niko, Mareep_

 _Level 37_

 _Moves: Thunderbolt, Discharge, Signal Beam and Thunder Wave_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **Well, the dialogue took longer than I expected. So instead of Brine Cave starting now, it'll begin next chapter. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	28. Chapter 27: Nostalgia

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 27: Nostalgia

"Ahh, this is nostalgic" I gazed around at the sunlit dark blue stone walls and small pools of water that made up Brine Cave. Many holes were in the ceiling, allowing sunlight to pierce through and light up the damp cave. The water in the pools were either dark blue or even purple in colour "I remember the days of when Team Skylar was just me and Priscilla. Our first dungeons were Beach Cave and Drenched Bluff, both Water-themed dungeons"

"Waterfall Cave and Craggy Coast was like this too" Priscilla agreed, then frowned "Thankfully, none of us are Fire type. Otherwise, we would of been dead a LONG time ago"

"Ha ha, guess we can count ourselves lucky, huh?" I laughed.

"Pay attention!" Chatot snapped "You can't afford to dawdle around like this in a dungeon!"

"Well, excuse me mister" I muttered as I headbutted a Tentacool with Quick Attack, then followed up with Bite to take it down "Hey, what's this?"

I picked up a TM that was submerged in a small pool in the corner of the room we were in. The case protected the light brown disc inside. "Dig" was written on the disc in faded black.

"Looks like the TM for Dig" Priscilla said, looking over my shoulder to see the TM "You remember Grovyle using Dig to hide from Dusknoir in the stockade?"

"And using it to make a tunnel from the beach to Sharpedo Bluff? Yeah, I remember" I cracked open the case and held the disc in my hand, allowing myself to forget Quick Attack in favor of Dig. Once I learned the move, the TM disc faded from light brown to plain gray, along with the word Dig disappearing all together.

"Now I can do everything Grovyle did with Dig" I threw the broken case and used disc on the ground and tried using Dig on an approaching Krabby. Chatot was about to attack with Peck and Niko pulsed with electricity, ready to zap Krabby with Thunderbolt, but I held up my hand.

"Let me try this out first" I felt immense strength fill my arms and I slammed my hands into the ground, sundering the earth to allow me to burrow through easily. I dug through the wet gray stone until the Krabby was right under me, indicated by the snapping of its claws. I burst out of the ground right under the Krabby and delivered a swift uppercut to its belly, shattering it completely in half.

"Well, I think this is a move worth keeping" I grinned as I rubbed the blood off my hand. Niko looked green, like he was about to vomit, but an incoming Walrein distracted him. The Mareep dodged the walrus's Icy Wind and retaliated with Thunderbolt, felling the Walrein instantly.

"Let's… move on…" Niko swallowed "I don't like the look of that shattered Krabby…"

"Hey, I found its eye!"

"Yeah, let's go!" Priscilla hurried Niko and Chatot down the hallway before shooting me a dirty look "Don't scare Niko like that"

"Not my fault if he can't handle blood and gore" I shrugged before following Niko and Chatot "I didn't actually find the Krabby's eye though"

Priscilla sighed "The world is ending as we speak and you have the audacity to joke. You're truly a mystery beyond belief"

"Well, let's just say I took inspiration from Aria and Henry" I watched as Chatot deflected a Dragonair's own Dragon Pulse back at the serpent with Mirror Move "Zach told me how they acted cheerful and happy to bring everyone's moods up while we were gone. They undertook missions together when the others were too depressed or tired to do so"

"So what you're saying is that in the face of danger and crisis, you should smile and laugh instead of giving in to despair?" the Eevee got a thoughtful look on her face "That reminds me of a character in a book I read"

"Really? Who was the character?" I asked.

"I don't remember exactly what his name was, but he was a mercenary that knew how to dance from his mother" Priscilla explained. Three Pelippers flew above us, preparing to launch Hydro Pump, but Niko shot them all down with Thunderbolt. Chatot was dealing with a Gastrodon in the hallway in front of us, pecking it to death with Fury Attack.

"Hey, you two!" Chatot snapped "Stop talking and help us fight!"

"R-right. Sorry!" Priscilla apologized, then turned to me "I'll explain later"

"Of course" I ran to Niko's side and found that a Monster House has triggered in the room next to us, explaining why so many Pokemon were rushing into our room.

"This is ridiculous! When will this stream of Pokemon end?" Niko cried as he took down line after line of Water type Pokemon with Thunderbolt and Discharge. I looked ahead and saw that more Pokemon were falling from the ceiling.

"Wait, I have a plan" I pulled out a Luminous Orb from my bag and shouted "Everyone cover your eyes!"

Everyone did as I commanded except for the enemy Pokemon, who stared at the blue orb in my hand with confusion. I slammed it onto the ground, creating a searing flash that blinded all the enemy Pokemon in our room.

"Okay, now that everyone's blind, we'll fall back and allow the rest to come in" I pulled Niko back towards the corner "Then once the room's filled with enemy Pokemon, you'll use Discharge and wipe them all out in one go!"

"Okay, here I go!" Niko began pulsing with electricity as more Water type Pokemon streamed in from the Monster House next door. Before they could even attack, Niko's electric aura grew stronger and then burst, zapping everything in the room with a megaton of voltage. Some of the enemy Pokemon disintegrated on the spot too.

"Now let's break away while we have the chance!" Priscilla called, hurrying us down the hallway towards the next room, which had the staircase. As we advanced to the next floor, I leaned in to Priscilla.

"Now would be a good time to continue" I said.

"Yeah, so as I was saying…" Priscilla glanced around us just in case enemies were around "This mercenary dancer lived in a ruined future, a world ravaged by a dark dragon. He fought alongside his friends to try and defeat this dark dragon, but despair rapidly began enveloping each and every one of his allies"

"Including him?"

"Including him" Priscilla nodded "But in an effort to cheer himself up, this mercenary began smiling and laughing to cheer everyone else around him. He always walked onto the battlefield with a smile and carefree attitude"

"How do you know this much and not remember his name?" I asked.

"I… I think his name was Indigo and he was a Gallade" Priscilla frowned "That's all I remember"

"What about this "dark dragon"? What Pokemon was it?" I continued.

"The dark dragon's name was… Hydreigon if I recall" the Eevee replied "The story said that Hydreigon's breath is corrosive to anything it touches. If its Dragon Pulse hits something, the victim will suffer a slow, painful death from the acid burning on them"

"That's… gruesome to say the least"

"Says the guy who split a Krabby in half with his fist"

"Hey, at least my killings is instantaneous. I don't keep my foes alive to torture them" I protested "But anyways, that means Henry and Aria are like Indigo while Dialga's Hydreigon"

"I suppose so" Priscilla shrugged "Oh crap, Chatot just got frozen by a Walrein's Ice Beam!"

"You sound far too nonchalant"

"I didn't care too much for Chatot anyways"

"Wow, you're heartless…"

Thanks to Niko, the Walrein who fired the Ice Beam was dealt with and Chatot thawed out of his ice prison, healing his wounds with Roost.

"You two, get in the front line!" Chatot snapped, irritated "I'm sick of you two hanging out behind us and talking. It's time YOU took the brunt of the attacks"

I sighed "As you say Chatot. Niko, support us from behind with your Thunderbolt"

"As you command" Niko spotted a Staryu and blasted it with a red and blue double-crossing beam, like a DNA helix "I also have Signal Beam if you want a long range attack"

"Wow, you've changed a LOT since before we were pulled into the future" I remarked "Not only are you more confident and social, you've gotten much stronger too. I believe you can even explore this dungeon solo!"

"That's far too much Silvin" Niko replied modestly "But this growth is all thanks to everyone else, especially Ezra and Zach"

"Ezra was your main research partner in rescuing us from the future and Zach trained you?" Priscilla guessed.

"Yep" the Mareep nodded before zapping an Omanyte to ash with Thunderbolt "I wonder how those four are faring right now actually…"

"I'm sure they are fine. Three out of four of them have super effective moves against the Water type Pokemon here" I said reassuringly, then gestured to the cluster of holes on the ceiling "And with the sunlight coming in through these holes, they won't have to worry about ambush attacks"

"I guess you're right. Still, I worry for them" Niko glanced down the hallway beside him "Oh, there's the staircase!"

…

"Ugh, why the hell does it have to be so dark down here?" Zelot growled, frustrated as he rapidly sliced apart a Gastrodon with Leaf Blade "None of us brought torches and we were ambushed over four times!"

"I guess we can take it as a lesson to prepare better next time" Sara remarked "How are you feeling Zach?"

"Just fine. This electric orb doesn't take too much energy to maintain" Zach's lightning orb floated next to him, lighting the damp caverns in electric blue light "Maybe we took a wrong turn and ended up in a deeper level of Brine Cave?"

"Whatever it is, we'll have a hard time finding the pattern in this darkness" Zelot felt the wall and pointed to the left "Zach, send your electric orb over there to scout for enemies"

"Roger that" Zach guided his sparkling ball of lightning over into the nearby room, which caused a whole stream of enemy Pokemon to fall from the ceiling.

"God dammit! It's a Monster House!" Zelot dug out a Petrify Orb from his bag "We don't have time for this. Let's just petrify them and run in the other direction"

"Good idea" Sara nodded and turned to Zach "Zach, quickly retract your electric orb and have it check our room to see if there are any hallways"

As the Shinx worked to return the lightning orb back to him, Zelot lobbed his Petrify Orb into the crowd of enemy Pokemon, freezing them in place.

"There's a hallway down to the right of us. It seems to turn at a corner to the left into another room" Zach reported "We should head there instead"

The four followed the blue light of Zach's orb before it flickered and shattered, creating a shower of sparks in the next room.

"Uhh… what just happened?" Aria asked, before getting whipped in the face by a tail "Ow! Who did that? Someone hit me with a tail!"

"Enemy Dragonair!" Zach summoned another lightning orb and hovered it over the Dragonair, who was readying a Dragon Rush "Aria, you take it!"

"Okay, I got this!" Aria slithered in front of Zelot and jumped, bringing down the full force of Dragon Rush down on her tail. Unfortunately, the Dragonair dodged and headbutted Aria towards the wall.

"Aria, I told you not to use Dragon Rush or Aqua Tail from above!" Zelot scolded as his arm glowed pink in preparation for Psycho Cut. The Dragonair pulsed with electricity and attempted to Thunder Wave the Gallade, but Zach jumped in and absorbed it, allowing Zelot to cut down Dragonair.

"Are you okay, Aria? You're not too hurt, are you?" Sara asked, helping the injured Dratini limp across the floor.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just a little… back pain is all" Aria winced "Sorry Zelot. I won't do that again"

"You just need more practice" the Gallade waved it off "You'll get better in time"

"How did the electric orb get shattered though?" Zach wondered aloud "Does Dragonair have some sort of special abilities or moves that destroy electricity?"

"My best guess is that Dragonair used Thunder Wave on it" Sara shrugged "I mean, every time you and Niko sparred, your Sparks and Thunder Fangs would collide with Niko's Thunderbolt, resulting in both moves being nullified"

"So when a lightning bolt strikes another lightning bolt, both disappear?" Aria tilted her head "That definitely doesn't work with other elements"

"Strike fire with fire and you get more fire" Zelot agreed "Attack water with water and you get a bigger pool"

"It merits a bit of testing" Sara shook her head "Sadly, only Zach and Niko share a type. In fact, we're missing a Fire, Water AND Grass type Pokemon in Team Skylar, all three very common types"

"Huh, that's true" Aria used her tail to stroke her chin "Maybe we should pick up a few someday"

"We're going to need to travel to the northwest lands if we want Fire types" Zelot informed "The land up there is well known for its volcanoes and scorching hot ground. Folklore tells that a meteor crashed there and the meteor's heat still lives on in the land"

"That would explain the volcanoes and hot atmosphere" Zach nodded "So I'm guessing the place is full of Fire type Pokemon?"

"Every Pokemon living there is either Fire, Rock or Ground type" Zelot replied "Literally nothing else survives there except for them"

"You know surprisingly a lot about this land" Aria noticed "Care to provide a name and if you went there before?"

"The land up northwest doesn't have a name really. It just consists of three mystery dungeons, the Dark Crater, Mt Mistral and the Giant Volcano" Sara answered "And to answer your question about Zelot being there before, me and him went there on a bounty hunting job years ago"

"Oh! I forgot you two used to be bounty hunters" Zach surrounded himself with electricity and rammed into a Staryu, frying it to ash "So what was the job about?"

"It was an outlaw who had minions working under him" Zelot explained "One of those goons was a Lapras, who sailed the outlaw all the way to the northwest land to escape. However, one of the outlaw's minions was a double agent and informed the police"

"The police put up a wanted poster for the outlaw soon after" Sara continued "If I remember correctly, he was wanted for stealing a piece of jewelry from a Lopunny"

"What did he steal? A bracelet or necklace?" Zach asked "If so, I don't think that warrants sailing to another land to escape"

"It was a necklace with a crystallized Water Stone" Zelot frowned and turned to Sara "Or was it a piece of a Fire Stone?"

"Both are wrong. It was a circular chip of a Thunder Stone" Sara replied

Aria's eyes went wide "How can you possibly remember that?"

"Let's just say I remember a lot of things when I nearby Zelot" Sara briefly rubbed her cloth body against Zelot gently "But anyways, the Thunder Stone necklace was rare and expensive, so it would of gone for a ton of Poke"

"So this outlaw was hoping to sell it to someone on the northwest land and claim he didn't have it after?" Zach guessed.

"I suppose so. I don't know the reasoning behind the theft" Zelot crossed his arms "All I do know is that we took the job, sailed to the northwest land and dealt with the outlaw, who was hiding at the deepest part of Dark Crater"

"How was Dark Crater?" Aria asked curiously "It sounds scary"

"Hot, sweltering and every step feeling like you're on a frying pan? Yeah, it was scary" Zelot shrugged "We had to be wary of the lava pits at times, but the enemy Pokemon were no big deal. I had a fellow bounty hunter accompanying us actually. He was an Empoleon"

"Of course, this was many years ago" Sara continued "And we haven't been back to the northwest land ever since. It's hard to tell how much it has changed"

"... Wait, why are we talking about a land of volcanoes, meteor crash sites and frying pan ground in a WATER-FILLED DUNGEON?!" Aria gestured all around her with her tail "I thought this was a conversation about recruitment!"

"Oh right, guess we got sidetracked" Zelot shrugged "So we can visit the northwest lands for a Fire type. Here would be a good place for Water types, but I don't have an Explorer Badge to officially recruit Pokemon"

"Yeah, only Silvin and Priscilla have it" Zach said "I remember Silvin leading me his badge when he and Priscilla were recovering from Grovyle's attack"

"But what's stopping you from recruiting Pokemon without a badge?" Aria asked "Can't you just tell them "We're an exploration team" and you're set?"

"The Exploration Badge is like a certification that you're a real exploration team" Zelot explained "Without it, bandits and gangs can easily trick people into their clan by claiming it's an exploration team"

"Ugh, don't even mention bandit groups or gangs…" Zach groaned "I've had enough of those in Amp Plains to last a lifetime"

"Anyways, Grass type Pokemon can be found pretty easily" Sara interrupted, moving the topic back to recruitment "Mystifying Forest a little up north is full of Grass type Pokemon"

"We can even look through the nearby Apple Woods for them" Zach nodded "Or even our own home in Lush Prairie"

"So out of all of them, Fire is the hardest to get" Zelot summed up "But judging by the record list at camp of which dungeons the team explored, we won't be needed a Fire type Pokemon anytime soon"

"Even if we did recruit a Fire type Pokemon, they wouldn't be seeing a lot of action" Sara agreed "According to the record list, Team Skylar has explored Beach Cave, Drenched Bluff, Waterfall Cave, Craggy Coast and right now, Brine Cave. All of them are water-themed dungeons"

"Wow, I didn't notice" Zach said "Although I was only part of one of those five: Brine Cave. I would of made the other four a BREEZE with my Electric type attacks"

"Until you see a Gastrodon" Zelot smirked.

"Shh. Do not mention that time Zelot" Zach groaned.

"Huh? What happened?" Aria asked curiously.

Zelot turned to Aria with a amused grin "So at the beginning of the dungeon, Zach here-"

"No, no! Shh, she doesn't need to know!" Zach protested, but Sara laughed and continued.

"He used Spark and rammed headfirst into a Gastrodon" the Mismagius explained "Little did he know, Gastrodon's Water and Ground type so…"

"Oh! So electricity is completely ineffective against it" Aria laughed "Zach, you dummy"

The Shix sighed and guided his lightning orb to a hallway to his left "Found the stairs. Let's go"

"Now what are you somber for?"

"Shut up Zelot…"

…

Not too long later, we arrived at a rest point with a Kangaskhan Rock.

"We're halfway through Brine Cave now" Chatot informed us "Once we get through Lower Brine Cave, we'll arrive at the deepest part of the dungeon, where the pattern rests"

"Okay, let's take a little break and move on" Priscilla walked towards the Kangaskhan Rock to resupply, but suddenly, the entire area was veiled in smoke.

"What the- who put up the smokescreen?!" I cried, then grasped my chest to cough.

"Whoa-ho-ho! It was I!" a familiar voice cackled.

"Team Skull!" Priscilla growled "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Here to take that Relic Fragment! I'll take that" a hand roughly seized Priscilla's treasure bag "Chaw-ha-ha!"

"Skuntank! Now is not the time!" Priscilla yelled.

"See you wimps later! WE will be the ones to explore Hidden Land!" Skuntank laughed "Let's skedaddle, boys!"

"Heh-heh-heh!"

"Whoa-ho-ho!"

When the smokescreen finally cleared, Team Skull was gone along with Priscilla's treasure bag.

"Who were those Pokemon? And why is your treasure bag gone?" Chatot asked.

"It was Team Skull!" Priscilla growled "You know, the crooks who accompanied us on the Fogbound Lake exploration!"

"That's nice team? I'm afraid I don't follow" Chatot scratched the ground with his foot "What were they even doing here? We haven't saw any of them since the expedition"

"I don't know how to answer that, but that doesn't matter!" Priscilla snapped "They stole my treasure bag AND the Relic Fragment! We need to get them back!"

"Team Skull has been playing the guild as a fool this entire time" I explained "They deceived us into thinking they were good Pokemon, but they were really after the treasure of Fogbound Lake!"

"And now they are trying to get into Hidden Land!" Priscilla snarled "And those idiots don't even know they need to be a "chosen one" to do so!"

"Chatot, we need to give chase right now" I urged "Come on, let's go!"

Chatot didn't say a word. Instead, he was shaking with pure rage. Anger lines formed on his head and his entire body radiated an extremely vengeful aura.

"... They think I'm a naive, bloody fool?!" Chatot growled "They will not get away with this insult. I will hunt them down and when I find them, I'll give him a verbal lashing so harsh that it'll slice apart their very skin! I will show them what it means to trifle with ME!"

Without warning, Chatot charged straight ahead into Lower Brine Cave, leaving us alone.

"Wait Chatot!" Priscilla called, but he already disappeared into the darkness.

"Guys, we need to get a move on" Niko urged "We need to chase Team Skull to retrieve Priscilla's Relic Fragment. Otherwise, it's all over!"

"You're right Niko. Let's move everyone!" I nodded and we all charged into the Lower Brine Cave.

Lower Brine Cave wasn't any different from Brine Cave. Aside from it being significantly darker due to the sunlight not piercing through the ceiling anymore, all the enemy Pokemon were the same.

"Ugh, stupid me. I forgot to bring torches" Priscilla groaned, then turned to Niko behind her "Do you have some way of creating light?"

"I could try" Niko shrugged, then focused, generating electricity through his wooly coat. The electricity condensed into a golden ball of lightning, illuminating the cavern for us.

"Oh thank goodness we can see now" I let go of my hand on the wall and watched the sparkling lightning orb travel forward, showing a room with four different hallways ahead "Are you still able to use moves while the lightning orb is active?"

"No better time to try than now" the lightning orb moved at Niko's command, showing an incoming Walrein. Niko bristled with electricity and discharged, smiting the Walrein with an instantaneous thunderbolt "Yep, still works"

"That's good. We won't need to cover you while you maintain the light then" I said as we took the northern hallway in the four-way room and ended up in a dead end "Ugh, I hate dead ends"

"By the way, who's Team Skull?" Niko asked as we backtracked to the four-way room "Priscilla seems especially hateful towards them"

"Team Skull is a band of crooks who prey on the weak and wimpy" I explained "Or whoever they perceive as naive and easy to manipulate. They only care about themselves and will do anything for treasure, even stealing the literal key needed to save the world"

In front of me, Priscilla punched the wall with her paw, ignoring the pain "Damn those men to hell…"

"They sound like a bad bunch" Niko nodded "What did they do to you though?"

"They stole my Relic Fragment, ate all the guild's food, stole all the Perfect Apples from Apple Woods, made US take Wigglytuff's tantrum, deceived the entire guild, intended to take the treasure of Fogbound Lake, hid a Water Float for us to find in Amp Plains during the most hostile time in the year and stole my Relic Fragment again!" Priscilla took a deep breath "Yeah, that's about it"

"I… I'm speechless" Niko said with a shocked look on his face "Why did they do all of us to you? Did you provoke them beforehand?"

"No and that's why they are crooks!" Priscilla growled "Like Silvin said, they prey on the weak and wimpy. And guess what, they think we're still weak and wimpy!"

"Despite you two literally surviving the hell that is the future" Niko commented.

"Exactly!"

"What will you do if you find them?" I asked innocently.

"... How long should the list be?"

"Oh believe me, list all of them" I put my hands behind my head "I'll enjoy laughing at your ways of revenge"

"Silvin, this is not funny. Not funny at all" the Eevee glared at me, then sighed "Hopefully Chatot can catch them quickly and retrieve the Relic Fragment. If they manage to find the pattern and get to Hidden Land…"

"They'll be destroyed by Dialga, no doubt about it" I said reassuringly.

"That's not to say WE won't get killed by Dialga either" Priscilla slumped, anger clearly out of her system "What I'm worried about is those idiots finding out the Relic Fragment doesn't work with them and throw it away"

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that" I looked ahead as Niko's lightning orb illuminated the way "There's the staircase. Let's hurry along"

…

"Whoa-ho-ho, looks like this is the deepest part of the dungeon, boss!" Koffing informed as Team Skull moved further into Lower Brine Cave, reaching a clearing full of water pools and rocks, round and spiky alike.

"The treasure shouldn't be far now, chaw-ha-ha!" Skuntank laughed "Up ahead, we'll find that pattern like the old-timer said…"

"And we'll use Priscilla's Relic Fragment to get to Hidden Land!" Zubat finished "Team Skull will be the first to explore Hidden Land and we'll be hailed as heroes for finding it!"

"Chaw-ha-ha, not long now, boys!" Skuntank cackled "The end is within sight"

"Hey boss, is it just me or…" Koffing leaned into Skuntank's ear "Do you feel a feeling of incredible dread? Like someone is watching us or something…"

"You're just imagining it Koffing. Stop distracting us from the treasure!" Zubat chided.

"No, no. I feel it too…" Skuntank glanced around "But no time for that. Let's go"

Suddenly, three powerful streams of water shot from above the three Pokemon, enveloping them in an intense whirlpool.

"Aagghhhh…! What the hell…?" Skuntank moaned as the whirlpool died down "Who could of…"

As the whirlpool burst, both Koffing and Zubat crashed against the rock walls, fainting instantly. Skuntank was left on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Grrahhh… Damn you…" Skuntank took one glance at the ceiling, spotting shadows of three Pokemon crawling on the wall before blacking out.

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 43_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Dig  
_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 40  
_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Niko, Mareep_

 _Level 38  
_

 _Moves: Thunderbolt, Discharge, Signal Beam and Thunder Wave_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _Zach's team:_

 _\- Zach, Shinx_

 _Level 39_

 _Moves: Thunder Fang, Spark, Crunch and Charge_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Zelot, Gallade_

 _Level 41_

 _Moves: Psycho Cut, Leaf Blade, Brick Break and Night Slash_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Sara, Mismagius_

 _Level 38_

 _Moves: Shadow Ball, Magical Leaf, Psychic and Shock Wave_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Aria, Dratini_

 _Level 35_

 _Moves: Dragon Rush, Aqua Tail, Thunder Wave and Agility_

 _IQ Level: ***  
_

 **And so, Brine Cave is finished and Lower Brine Cave is nearing its end. The story Priscilla told about Indigo and Hydreigon is a reference to another Nintendo series (you get a cookie if you find out) Coming up next is Team Skylar finding out just what attacked Team Skull and where did Chatot go, along with discovering the pattern at the end of the dungeon. Follow and favorite if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	29. Chapter 28: The Skylar's Bond

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 28: The Skylar's Bond

Not even an hour later, we arrived at a clearing surrounded by pools and rocks, round and spiky alike. Niko's lightning orb zipped around the room, checking for enemies and providing light.

"Well, we descended pretty deep down" Priscilla remarked "But still no sign of Chatot or Team Skull"

"We're going to need more light" I told Niko "Can you like, spread the electricity above us from your orb to create lasting light?"

"I could try that. Stand back" Niko willed the lightning orb to return to him as we stepped back. The Mareep concentrated and sent the orb into the air, detonating the sphere and spreading a web of golden electricity above us. The lightning web lingered and created a dim light above us, but it was enough to see more than three metres in front of me.

"The web should hold for a few minutes or so" Niko informed us "So let's check the area quick and try to find a way through"

"Gghh…" someone groaned ahead of us.

"Huh? That was someone's voice…" Priscilla's face turned from worry to disgust "Oh no. I recognize that voice anywhere"

"Team Skull?"

"Yep, it's Skuntank" the Eevee sighed "Let's see what's going on with them"

"Uurrghhh…" Skuntank moaned in pain when we approached them.

"Huh, serves you right to be knocked out like this" Priscilla snickered "What happened to you three?"

"Were you attacked by a mysterious gang of enemies or a "vicious bandit"?" I asked.

"Whoa-ho… you knew it was coming? Would of been good to know that…" Koffing said weakly.

"Not you'd… tell us… heh-heh…" Zubat groaned.

"... Are you okay Skuntank?" I asked, to the surprise of Priscilla.

"What are you asking that for? Did you forget everything they did to us?!" the Eevee cried "Let's just retrieve the Relic Fragment and move further in. Better to just let these dastards die"

"Priscilla, they're down and injured. You have no right to badmouth them now" I replied soothingly "You can't kick a person who's already been defeated, even if they are bad Pokemon"

"Chaw-ha… your boyfriend is right, missy…" Skuntank smirked, but winced at the pain "But I'm surprised Silvin. You find us at your mercy and you still… ask if we're okay…?"

"What kind of person would I be if I kicked those who are down?" I asked as I assessed Skuntank's wounds. There wasn't any blood or cuts, but his fur was sopping wet and matted over in one direction, implying that he was hit by a tidal wave.

"Wait… a tidal wave…?" I murmured, then raised my voice back to normal "Skuntank, were you attacked by Water type moves?"

"What does it look like dumbnut? Of course… I was…!" Skuntank groaned "Three streams of water came out of nowhere and created a whirlpool that took all of us out. If you wimps had to… fight that… you won't stand a chance!"

"Skuntank, you don't know what we've been through. That means you don't have the right to judge our strength" Priscilla snapped "Now hand back my bag and Relic Fragment. I see it tucked under your arm"

"Priscilla, just wait a minute. I need to ask a few more questions" I turned back to Skuntank "What direction did the water blasts come from?"

"Don't remember. All I remember was a whirlpool instantly spinning us around like a blender" Skuntank replied.

"That's unfortunate…" I crossed my arms "Also, did you happen to see Chatot pass by here?"

"Grr, don't remind me of Chatot" Skuntank growled "In fact, the only reason I'm not dead yet is because he riled me up"

"Riled you up…?" Niko repeated.

"He found us wiped out on the ground and scolded us for ages with some… choice words" Skuntank explained "After giving us that blistering tongue-lashing, he went on ahead after the enemies. The things he said… I'm still seeing red. I'm so steaming mad that refuse to give up here. I'll get out of here even if I have to crawl… so I can deliver my payback on that damn Chatot!"

"So you're alive… because of your desire for revenge…?" Niko guessed "That's umm…"

"Fitting for someone like you" Priscilla finished "Now are you done with your questions Silvin? We NEED the Relic Fragment back now!"

"Give me a moment, alright?!" I sighed and turned back to Skuntank "Even if you were "saved" by Chatot, you still look like you're in a lot of pain. It'll be hard leaving this place alive"

"Chaw-ha… look at you, concerning over someone who's been bad to you two all this time" Skuntank smirked "You went through downright rotten times thanks to us. Yet still, you can bring yourself to worry about people like us?"

"Well, I'm not worrying about you. Honestly, I'd rather leave you to die" Priscilla commented.

"Chaw-ha-ha. Still have that burning hatred for us, do you…?" Skuntank weakly laughed before letting Priscilla's treasure bag slide down from his arm onto the damp ground.

"Huh? Why did you-"

"Chaw-ha-ha… oops…" Skuntank laughed slowly "How unlike me. The bag slipped out of my grip and I can't move. That Priscilla's going to steal it back… chaw-ha…"

Priscilla opened the bag gingerly, as if she was expecting Team Skull to plant explosive Blast Seeds in there or something "The Relic Fragment is still in the bag, along with my other equipment"

"Chaw-ha… I dropped the bag on complete accident" Skuntank lied playfully "You're free to take the Relic Fragment. Or not"

I sighed "Skuntank… thanks"

"Hmph, why thank me?" the skunk Pokemon asked "The next time we meet, we're going back to our old tricks of messing you with you… chaw-ha…"

"Can you just-"

"Priscilla, now's not the time" I dug an three Oran Berries from my bag and threw one each at Team Skull's members "You three, take these, heal up and get out of here. We're going deeper in to help Chatot"

"Chaw-ha… good luck" Skuntank said "You'll need it"

As we went ahead, Skuntank looked at his goons expectantly. As he thought, both were too weak to pick up the Oran Berry I threw at them.

"You two… can you move?" Skuntank asked.

"Whoa-ho… are you serious? Of course not…" Koffing replied while wincing.

"Heh-heh-heh… the way they trouced us, I'm too weak to move. I'm close to fainting actually…" Zubat moaned.

"So that's it, huh? We must really look like a mess… chaw-ha…"

"Whoa-ho… but Chief… I like how you kept it to yourself until the very end" Koffing complimented "That you're a little bit of a good guy. You redeemed yourself!"

"Shut it Koffing"

"But I gotta say Chief, there's something to be said about you doing that" Zubat added.

"I told you to shut it... "

…

We moved further into the clearing, where we found Chatot apparently in very deep focus.

"Hey Chatot!" I called to get his attention and the bird turned, putting his wing up to his beak to tell me to be quiet.

"Not so loud!" Chatot hissed "Be alert. The vicious bandit is very close by. I saw their retreating figures as I gave chase, but I lost sight of them here"

"... Niko, summon another lightning orb and prepare to detonate it if something pops up" I told Niko and the Mareep obliged, forming another sphere of golden lightning.

"Looking around here though, there doesn't seem to a lot of places to hide" Priscilla glanced at the short brown rock walls and tiny pools of water nearby. Other than that, it was a straight plain clearing.

"How can you attack out of nowhere when there's no place to hide…?" I glanced over at Chatot and saw he was staring at the ceiling with a look of horror on his face. I followed his gaze and gasped.

"Priscilla, Niko! Watch out!" I cried "They are right above us!"

"What?!" before we could react, a Kabutops and two Omastar landed right in front of us, shaking the ground slightly.

"I am Kabutops!" the Kabutops announced, sharpening his arm sickles.

"And we're the Omastar brothers!" the two Omastars introduced in unison.

"All trespassers need to be taught a lesson! Take this!" Kabutops yelled and in an instant, the three Pokemon fired Hydro Pump at us all at once. Before the blasts of water could hit us however, Chatot lunged forward and took all three hits for us.

"Urrrggh…" Chatot groaned in pain.

"W-what?!" Kabutops cried in alarm.

"Niko, now! Detonate the lightning orb!" I cried and Niko nodded, guiding the sphere behind the three enemy Pokemon and willed it to explode. The explosion stunned the three enemy Pokemon briefly, but they shook it off soon after.

"Look at this hero shielding his friends with his body" Kabutops taunted "That's not what I call smart"

"Hey! I remember this guy!" one of the Omastar turned to Kabutops "That big hero's been here before! We knocked him out the same way too!"

"This is the second time he done that?" Kabutops feigned surprise "That really takes a whole lot of smarts. Ha ha ha!"

"Urrgghh… Say what you will…" Chatot growled, clutching his wing in pain "These two are our… prized recruits…! I won't let you harm them!"

"Too bad you're too weak to do that!" Kabutops smacked Chatot aside, sending him towards the wall. If he tilted his sickle just an inch, Chatot would of been impaled through the side already "Ha ha ha! Weak fool"

"Kabutops, permission to kill these three?" one of the Omastar asked.

"By all means, rip them to shreds" the Kabutops grinned evilly "And allow me the final blow. I want the pleasure of tearing their innards from the inside out while they are still conscious!"

"Yes sir!" the two Omastar nodded.

"Niko" I pointed to the three enemy Pokemon approaching us "Discharge"

Instantly, Niko exploded in a flare of electricity, blowing back the Omastar and Kabutops with a wave of lightning. While they were stunned, me and Priscilla jumped into the fray. Priscilla Wide Slashed all three of them, cutting a small, but noticeable swath in their hard shells. I collided my hand with an Omastar's face, shattering its shell to pieces with Force Palm. Behind us, Niko launched Thunderbolt after Thunderbolt, keeping Kabutops distracted.

"Ha ha! I got you!" Kabutops weaved in between two of Niko's Thunderbolts and rushed towards me just as I finished off the second Omastar. The Kabutops yelled and stabbed me in the arm with his sickle. I watched in horror as the brown appretage sunk deep into my skin, poking out from the other end. My vision nearly went black with nausea.

"Say goodnight!" the Kabutops raised his other sickle to rip apart my chest when dozens of miniature air blades peppered his back, along with a giant thunderbolt. Both attacks forced Kabutops to fall back, ripping his sickle out from my arm in a burst of blood.

"I'm not letting you get away!" Priscilla yelled, summoning more air blades with Vacuum Cut and willing them to track down Kabutops. The shellfish Pokemon was forced to run as the air blades followed him at every turn.

"Foolish move deary!" Kabutops rushed towards us with his arms spread, intending to slice both me and Priscilla's heads off with his sickles. But Niko, the brave Mareep he was, stood in his path and blasted Kabutops with a powerful burst of electricity. As Kabutops rolled away, the air blades from Priscilla's Vacuum Cut followed him and finished the shellfish Pokemon off. Finally, the vicious bandit of Brine Cave was done for.

"Chatot! Chatot, are you alright?!" Priscilla asked after the battle. I munched on an Oran Berry to heal my wounds and ran towards Chatot. He groaned, struggling to get up. He had trouble bending his back, implying that it took the brunt of the hit when Kabutops smacked him.

"Urrgghh… D-damn it all… Can't move…" Chatot groaned.

"Chatot!" Wigglytuff's voice echoed through the cavern "Chatot, are you here?!"

"Wigglytuff!" I shouted "We're over here. Niko, send up another electric flare please"

After the Mareep lit the area with his lightning web, we saw Wigglytuff and Grovyle of all people walking towards us.

"Guildmaster!" Loudred shouted and the rest of the guild filed into the cavern, along with Zelot, Sara, Zach and Aria. All of them stood back in fear when Grovyle turned to them.

"Waah! Grovyle!" Loudred cried.

"What is Grovyle doing with the Guildmaster?!" Chimecho asked, alarmed.

"I'll explain later! This is more important!" Wigglytuff urged "Anyone with first aid supplies? We need to bring Chatot back to the guild for treatment!"

"I have a kit. Here, Guildmaster" Sunflora handed Wigglytuff a white suitcase with a red ribbon tied across the middle.

"Golly, is Chatot going to be okay? He looks pretty bad…" Bidoof murmured.

"What hit him? He looks like he was hit by a tidal wave!" Sunflora exclaimed "Wait… tidal wave? Was he attacked by the vicious bandit?!"

"Chatot! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Wigglytuff was near tears over concern for Chatot.

"Ha ha ha… I'm… fine…" Chatot panted "As hale and hearty as… ever... "

"I'm so sorry Chatot" Wigglytuff apologized "If I got here sooner, I could of…"

"Please don't blame yourself Guildmaster…" Chatot reassured "But this… this is so humiliating…"

"You're near death and you're worried about embarrassment?" Priscilla sighed.

"This is different. I've been knocked out by the same enemies… twice!" Chatot exclaimed while Wigglytuff bandaged his back and helped Chatot stabilize.

"That isn't true Chatot!" Wigglytuff protested "The first time we came here, you were knocked out because you shielded me from Kabutops and his gang's attack!"

"I did… that…?" Chatot asked slowly in surprise.

"I defeated Kabutops's gang soon after that but…" Wigglytuff grinned at Chatot "If you haven't had shielded me, I would of been knocked out on the spot too. I owe you my life Chatot"

"I did… that…?" Chatot repeated "That's what happened…?"

"You're my invaluable partner Chatot. Never forget that" Wigglytuff said.

"I'm honored to hear such words from you Guildmaster…" Chatot whispered "I'm so… happy right now…"

"What's happening? His voice is…" Aria couldn't finish her sentence after Chatot suddenly collapsed on the ground again, unconscious.

"WHOA! Chatot!" Loudred cried.

"Chatot! Are you alright?!" Chimecho asked, panic creeping in her voice.

"Everyone stay calm!" Grovyle ordered and he felt Chatot's body with his hand "... He'll live. He's simply unconscious right now. Get him back to the guild for real treatment now!"

"Everyone, take Chatot back to the guild and treat him" I ordered and turned to Zelot standing in the back with the others "Go back to camp and get Ezra to help heal Chatot"

"What? What about the rest of us?!" Zach protested "We're going with you!"

"... No. It can only be these three: Silvin, Priscilla and Grovyle" Wigglytuff intoned "Everyone, let's follow Silvin's command and go back to the guild. Members of Team Skylar, I ask that you do the same"

"What's stopping us from going with you?" Aria pleaded as the guild Pokemon hurried Chatot's body out of Brine Cave.

"Our command as leaders of Team Skylar" I replied "Please, don't make this harder for us. I'm simply telling you guys to go because we don't know what we're up against in Hidden Land. I don't want to put any of you in danger"

"We can say the same for you!" Zelot cried "What will happen if you go to Hidden Land and never come back? All of us want to be at your side and keep you two safe, so we don't suffer the same doubt and depression when you were abducted!"

"Silvin, Priscilla, we're running out of time" Grovyle reminded us "Convince your team to leave quickly. I'll go on ahead"

"Everyone, just please listen to us" Priscilla pleaded "Silvin and Grovyle are people from the past tasked with erasing the dark, timeless future. I'm the holder of the Relic Fragment, the key to getting to Hidden Land. As such, the three of us are the best qualified to enter Hidden Land. None of you are"

"We're ordering you to go back to camp, bring Ezra to the guild and pray for our safety" I insisted "And nothing is going to change our decision. Only us three can go to Hidden Land"

"Please don't argue with us" Priscilla begged "We don't have much time left"

After a long silence, Zelot sighed.

"... Fine. We're wasting your time arguing anyways…" the Gallade stared at the ground with a look of sadness "We'll follow your orders then. Stay safe, come home safe and good luck on your mission"

"Thank you Zelot" Priscilla smiled.

"Just please stay safe and be careful!" Sara hugged both of us the best she could with tears in her eyes "I'd hate to wait in camp for weeks, months or even years for waiting two children that'll never come back. Just please come back at any cost"

"We'll try to Sara. I promise" I nodded, then turned to everyone else "I'm afraid there's no more time for more farewells. One last word though…"

I cleared my throat and said "You all are the best exploration team I could ever ask for. We laughed, explored and journeyed through life together and should we fall, I want you to continue the legacy of Team Skylar"

"Don't say things like that! You WILL return home!" Aria cried, struggling to hold back her tears.

"And we will return home" I said reassuringly "All I ask is that you pray for our safety and success"

"Silvin, it's time to leave" Priscilla urged.

"Right" I nodded "It's been a good ride everyone. Farewell and wish us luck"

"... Good luck…" Zelot said, covering his eyes with his hand to mask the tears.

"Stay safe, you two…" Sara sniffed.

"Come home alive" Zach and Niko murmured in unison.

"You two can do it. I believe in you…" Aria sniffed "Good luck, Silvin a-and Priscilla…"

"Now it's time to go" I nodded to Priscilla "Onward to the Hidden Land"

Further into the damp, narrow cavern, we met Grovyle along the way.

"Farewells took longer than expected" Priscilla apologized.

"You caught up to me, so it doesn't matter" Grovyle shrugged.

"How did you know to join up with us here?" I asked.

"Wigglytuff brought me" Grovyle said simply "He's been searching for me for quite a while. When he found me, he told me you two were close to finding the Hidden Land and the final clue lies in Brine Cave. I rushed here with him instantly"

"Does that mean you have all the Time Gears?" Priscilla asked.

"Yes, I've collected all five of them in quick fashion, thanks to you" Grovyle smiled "Now all that's left is to travel to Hidden Land and place the gears on Temporal Tower"

A moment later, we came out from the damp, rocky hallway and entered a shoreline with a crevice opening to the vast sea. On the wall to the right of me, an intricate and distinguishable pattern shimmered in white.

"Huh? What is it Silvin?" Priscilla followed my gaze and gasped "That's… that's the exact same pattern on my Relic Fragment"

"This must be the pattern Chatot spoke about" I said.

"Okay, let me bring out my Relic Fragment and see what happens" Priscilla gently took the rock out from her treasure bag and laid it in front of the pattern like a sacrificial offering. The pattern on the fragment began glowing blue, along with the pattern on the wall. We watched in awe as the wall pattern glowed brighter before shooting a thin beam of energy through the crevice and across the vast ocean.

"What… what just happened…?" Grovyle asked.

"The beam shot out to sea…" Priscilla turned her gaze to the crevice nearby "Wait… I see something coming!"

The Pokemon coming closer to the shoreline was sky blue with a cream underside. On its back was a gray shell covered in small bumps. I had a weird case of deja vu just by looking at it. I remembered seeming the exact same Pokemon at the beach with Priscilla a few days ago.

"Silvin… Priscilla… and Grovyle, correct?" Lapras greeted us.

"You know our names?" Priscilla asked, surprised.

"Yes. Wigglytuff informed me" Lapras explained.

"Wigglytuff…?" Priscilla turned back to the pattern and shook her head "Let's not dwell on that now. A beam of light shot from the pattern and out to sea. Right after, you showed up. Who are you?"

"I am Lapras, known as the transport Pokemon" Lapras introduced himself "I am the guide to the Hidden Land"

"What?! You're the guide to the Hidden Land? You can take us there?" Priscilla asked excitingly.

"You unleashed the beam of light from the pattern on the wall" Lapras cocked his head to the intricate drawing "That is the signal for gaining entry into Hidden Land"

"So… how are you going to guide us to Hidden Land?" I asked.

"Step on my back. I will carry you to Hidden Land" Lapras turned around and pointed to his shell with his head "It is beyond the sea, so you need my help regardless"

"But isn't the shell a little-"

"Don't worry, I'm exceptional" Lapras reassured "I can carry you and more with ease. Don't be afraid"

"Silvin, Priscilla, this is it" Grovyle nodded at us "Onward to the Hidden Land!"

We each stepped onto Lapras's shell and got a secure spot before taking off. Lapras sailed out of the crevice and through the endless sea beyond.

"This is it…" I murmured as I watched the sun dip below the horizon "The final adventure has begun"

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 43_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Dig  
_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 40  
_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Grovyle_

 _Level 46_

 _Moves: Leaf Blade, Absorb, Dig and Quick Attack_

 **And here we are at the endgame chapters. There's nothing much to be said here other than the next chapter will be focused on Silvin, Priscilla and Grovyle's exploration through the Hidden Land, determined to reach the Temporal Tower. The final climax of the main story is approaching. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	30. Chapter 29: The Hidden Land

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 29: The Hidden Land

Back at the guild, everyone was waiting anxiously for Wigglytuff to come out from the guild's bedrooms. The local medics and Ezra from Team Skylar's been treating Chatot for a while now. They were certain he would live, but taking three Hydro Pumps at point blank range isn't going to go away so easily. As the moon rose and night settled in, everyone was afraid Chatot wasn't going to leave this incident unscathed. Finally, Wigglytuff waddled out of the bedrooms, looking tired and somber.

"How's Chatot? Is he alright?" Diglett asked anxiously.

Wigglytuff sighed with relief "He's fine. The medics say he just needs to sleep and rest, then he'll be fine tomorrow"

"Oh thank goodness!" Chimecho grinned.

"Golly, that's one load off my mind" Bidoof agreed.

"Hey, hey! That's great! Chatot's going to be okay!" Corphish nodded.

"Guildmaster Wigglytuff, I'm a little curious about something…" Aria began.

"Huh? What is it, young Dratini?" Wigglytuff asked.

"Just call me Aria, thanks" the Dratini cleared her throat "You said that Chatot saved you from the vicious bandit back in Brine Cave a long time ago. Can you tell us about it?"

"I was curious about that too!" Sunflora piped up "Can you please tell us about it Guildmaster? Please?"

"Sure, I'll tell you what happened!" Wigglytuff returned to his usual happy-go-lucky and innocent demeanor as he began the tale "When we reached the clearing in Brine Cave, Chatot yelled at me to watch out because he spotted Kabutops and his gang first. I didn't react fast enough, so Chatot took the attack for me"

"What happened next?" Sunflora asked, curious.

"I took down Kabutops's gang afterwards" Wigglytuff answered "But Chatot was near death and I didn't know what to do. I was in panic because I couldn't help Chatot. And then, Lapras appeared"

"Huh? Lapras?" Chimecho tilted her head in confusion.

"Yes, Lapras appeared and healed Chatot" Wigglytuff replied.

…

"Oh, I see" Priscilla nodded in understanding "So that's you met Wigglytuff, Lapras"

"How did you heal Chatot though? You don't strike me as a Pokemon that knows healing moves" I said "No offense, of course"

"Let's just say I possess some… different qualities compared to other Lapras" Lapras smiled lightly "Being the guide to Hidden Land has granted me some powers most Pokemon don't have"

"Like being able to heal yourself and others?"

"That and a few others. Now's not the time to list them though" Lapras stared a bit up at the dark night sky "Anyways, I didn't intend to reveal myself at all. All that changed when I saw Chatot on the ground however. I simply had to help"

"Why didn't you want to reveal yourself?" Grovyle asked.

"I am the guide to Hidden Land, a land that's called hidden for a reason" Lapras replied "People would force me to take them to Hidden Land if they knew of my purpose in life. But Hidden Land is not for the common man"

"So what happened after?" Priscilla asked.

"After I healed Chatot, I made Wigglytuff promise me something…"

…

"Hey, hey! So what was that promise?" Corphish asked.

"I think Lapras recognized that we were an exploration team right away" Wigglytuff answered, glancing at the bright moon rising into the night sky "So he said that he couldn't tell if we were bandits with big ambitions or an exploration team with good intentions. So for the sake of world peace, he pleaded to us not to investigate the peculiar pattern we found"

"So… what did you do, Guildmaster Wigglytuff?" Aria asked.

…

"Wigglytuff promised to honor my request, most agreeably" Lapras answered Priscilla's question "He said that he owed me thanks for healing Chatot, so he would stop all investigations into the matter"

"I recall seeing bits and pieces of an old barrier in front of Brine Cave" Priscilla dipped her paw into the ocean, letting the saltwater wash her paw "Did Wigglytuff build the barrier to prevent people from going in and finding the pattern?"

"He could of. Although erosion and other environmental factors could of broken the barrier" Lapras tilted his head in deep thought "Or perhaps he destroyed it when he issued the order for you to come here"

"It's easy and hard to imagine Wigglytuff yelling "YOOM-TAH!" at a slab of stone to blow it up" I muttered "If he actually did that though, it would explain the bits and pieces on the ground"

"Anyhow, Wigglytuff's promise and protection helped shield Hidden Land for years" Lapras continued "But those weren't the only things protecting Hidden Land"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Priscilla asked.

"Hidden Land is where Temporal Tower resides. The tower is governed by Dialga, who regulates the flow of time there" Lapras explained "He was afraid intruders would attack Temporal Tower and disrupt the time stream, so he hid Hidden Land in a gap of time"

"In a gap of time…?" I wondered, perplexed.

"Basically, Dialga hid Hidden Land in the space of a split second" Lapras summed up "Which makes it near impossible to enter Hidden Land by any means"

"I see. So that's why Hidden Land could never be found" Grovyle leaned on Lapras's neck with his arms crossed, although it didn't bother the transport Pokemon "The space in a split second… nobody in existance can ever hope of going there"

"Not exactly. Dialga left one key to Hidden Land, should a savior be needed there" Lapras glanced at the blinking stars in the sky "It's a special rock fragment with a mysterious pattern etched onto it, said to be descended from the Hidden Land itself"

"So my Relic Fragment…" Priscilla opened her treasure bag, where the Relic Fragment sat on the top "Is a fragment fallen from the Hidden Land itself, serving as the only key there?"

"Precisely"

…

"When I heard old Torkoal's tale and saw Priscilla's Relic Fragment, I finally understood" Wigglytuff continued "I realized that the pattern I saw at Brine Cave and the one on the Relic Fragment are one and the same, thus linking them to Hidden Land"

"Is that why you left the guild early? So you could tell Lapras that we were coming?" Zach asked.

"Yes, I destroyed the barrier I created guarding Brine Cave and found a way to contact Lapras" the guildmaster nodded "I met him on a hidden shoreline in Treasure Town, explaining what was happening and that I couldn't keep my promise anymore. I pleaded to him to tell us how to get to Hidden Land"

"So… what did Lapras say?" Sunflora tapped her foot against the ground anxiously.

"He understood the situation immediately and told me how to get to Hidden Land" Wigglytuff replied "He said that the Relic Fragment chooses who will go to Hidden Land"

"Huh? The Relic Fragment chooses its wielder itself?" Dugtrio repeated, surprised.

"How does it do that?!" Loudred asked, then lowered his voice when Zelot shot him a glare "I mean, how does it do that?"

"I don't know. All we know is that the fragment chose Priscilla" Wigglytuff shrugged.

"Hey, hey! So why did the fragment choose her?" Corphish piped up.

"I don't know" Wigglytuff shook his head "Perhaps Dialga didn't want people of bad intentions to be able to enter Temporal Tower, which is why the chosen one of the Relic Fragment must be pure of heart. Priscilla's spirit must of resonated with the fragment"

"Either way, we can't do much else right now" Zelot interrupted "I'm sorry for interrupting your story, Guildmaster Wigglytuff, but we must turn back to serious business"

"No, no. It's fine. I was about to finish the tale anyways" Wigglytuff shrugged "Anyways, the burden of this journey now falls to Silvin and Priscilla. It's Team Skylar's weight to bear…"

"... And they're the only ones who can get to Hidden Land and reverse the destruction of time" Zach finished "All we can do… it pray for their safety…"

…

Not too long after we finished talking with Lapras, Grovyle dozed off, leaving me and Priscilla to stare at the nighttime stars.

"They're beautiful, aren't they…?" I murmured as I watched a shooting star cross the sky, a line of fiery yellow briefly appearing before fading away "It's funny. We rarely sit outside and gaze at the stars like this, even though they are THIS beautiful"

Priscilla sighed "Yeah, you're right. It's the simple things we take for granted, but really need. It reminds me of when we returned from the future. While you were asleep, me and Grovyle went out and watched the morning sunrise"

I stayed silent as Priscilla continued.

"Grovyle mentioned that he only knew the world of darkness in the future and that seeing the sunrise in our world was staggering" the Eevee continued, absently splashing water with her feet "And that strengthened his resolve to save the world"

"Perhaps we should take his advice…" I looked over at the sleeping Grovyle behind me, wary that if he rolled over an inch, he would get a faceful of saltwater "Appreciating the little things we truly need, like the sunrise, the stars and nature as a whole"

"Mm" Priscilla pulled her feet out of the ocean and back onto Lapras's shell "Should I make a wish?"

"Huh? For what?"

"The shooting star, dummy. Whenever you see a shooting star, you make a wish"

"Oh… what's your wish then?"

"That all three of us makes it out of this journey alive"

"Then it's my wish as well"

Priscilla tilted her head "Are you saying that just to look noble or to connect with me?"

"Both?" I laughed quietly "I mean, it's a good wish. Truly, all I want is for us to come home safely and enjoy the world as it is. We can explore, laugh with our friends and live life to the fullest"

I leaned into Priscilla, connecting forehead to forehead with her "And I'd love to have all the time in the world with you"

"Aww, you're such a flirt Silvin" Priscilla teased, but gave me a warm smile nonetheless "After this journey, do you want to go gaze at the stars again atop a high hill?"

"I would do it as many times as I can, as long as you're with me"

"Ahem. I'm still here, you know" Lapras reminded us, breaking us apart "Forgive me for interrupting, but you two should really get some sleep. We'll be reaching Hidden Land in the early morning and you'll need as much rest as you can get"

"Of course Lapras. Thank you for reminding us" I looked over at Priscilla "You can sleep first. I'll watch you two to make sure neither of you fall into the ocean"

"Thanks Silvin. I'll take second watch if you start feeling sleepy" Priscilla yawned and eased herself against Lapras's long neck "Goodnight Silvin"

"Sweet dreams Priscilla"

Not too long after, I became drowsy and fell asleep too. However, my slumber was a nap at best, since the bumps on Lapras's shell were uncomfortable and I was afraid of rolling over and falling into the ocean. Before I could even settle into my sleep, the sun rose and Wingull began flying above our heads.

"Lapras, you've been swimming all night. Are you okay?" I asked as I splashed water over my face to freshen up. Priscilla and Grovyle were still snoozing beside me, so I was careful not to get water on them.

"There's no need for concern Silvin" Lapras replied "Like I said earlier, being the guide to Hidden Land has granted me certain powers. Plus, we're almost there"

"We are?" I squinted ahead, but all I saw was water "But I don't see anything"

"Look ahead. See how there's a difference in the waves there?" Lapras pointed his snout forward.

"But I don't- Oh" Up ahead, the water turned into a mossy sea green in a unusually straight line. The green water led into a black square portal with little white dots like stars.

"Huh, it's true" Grovyle said beside me and I had to bite my tongue not to jump off Lapras in surprise "The waves ahead are all twisted up!"

"Just what is that Lapras?" Priscilla asked and I swore that these two Pokemon never slept at all "Is that the…"

"The edge of the gap in time, the space inside of a split second" Lapras nodded "That is the portal we'll use to go to Hidden Land"

Lapras began speeding up, his fins slicing through the water and creating stark white waves. Slowly, Lapras's body began to levitate off of the water and fly straight towards the portal.

"Lapras! You never told us you could fly!" Priscilla exclaimed, amazed.

"No, that's not it!" Grovyle held onto Lapras's neck "He isn't flying! He's… crossing the sea of time!"

"Looks like flying to me!" I exclaimed as Lapras picked up speed, eventually going so fast that the world around us blurred. The moment Lapras touched the black portal, everything went white and we reappeared high in the sky, looking down at a large floating island with dark clouds booming with purple lightning. Verdant green grass and mountains dotted the land mass and a crumbling staircase of floating rocks led up to a azure blue tower in the distance.

"Is this is Lapras? The Hidden Land?" Grovyle asked as he looked down on the island in awe.

"Yes! It is!" Lapras exclaimed triumphantly "Hang on tight. We're going in!"

"You're not going to speed up again- OH GOD!" I grabbed Lapras's neck as the transport Pokemon instantly warped towards the edge of Hidden Land, as if it travelled through time. Once we reached the cliffside, Lapras deposited us off.

"So this is it… the Hidden Land…" Priscilla gazed at the blooming flowers and tall, healthy forest. However, a sense of dread and urgency hung in the air, as if the entire island was holding its breath.

"If you're sensing the tension in the air, you aren't wrong" Lapras broke me out of my thoughts "Look ahead"

Priscilla gasped "What's going on over there?"

Up ahead atop a floating rock was the azure blue tower, the pinnacle surrounded by dark red clouds.

"Is that… could that be…" Grovyle stared in awe at the tower in the distance.

"Yes, that is the Temporal Tower" Lapras answered "That is your destination to deliver the Time Gears, correct?"

"Yes, but…" Priscilla squinted at Temporal Tower "But it's floating in the sky! How can we even get there?"

"You must take the Rainbow Stoneship" Lapras explained "Up ahead on the plateau is the Old Ruins, where a mythical vessel sleeps. That is the Rainbow Stoneship and that's what will take you to Temporal Tower"

"Hey Priscilla. Remember the clue Aria talked about a few days ago?" I tapped my head, trying to remember "She said that the Hidden Land can only be reached by the "chosen one who rides the ship of rainbows""

"Yes, that's how it went, but…" Priscilla turned to Lapras "I don't think he's the ship of rainbows Aria's book referred to. It's definitely the Rainbow Stoneship"

"So what the book REALLY meant was "Temporal Tower can only be reached by the chosen one who rides the Rainbow Stoneship"" Grovyle rephrased "And I think that chosen one is you Priscilla"

"So that's our objective then. Go to the Old Ruins, activate the Rainbow Stoneship, fly to Temporal Tower, stop Primal Dialga and place the Time Gears at the pinnacle. Piece of cake" I said.

"That's a very large cake to swallow, but it's not impossible" Grovyle nodded, then turned to Lapras "So this is where we part ways, huh?"

"Yes. This is the extent of what I can do" Lapras replied sorrowfully "All I can say is good luck and return safely. You three are clearly good people and deserve to live"

"Thank you Lapras. We'll return here as fast as could" Priscilla promised, then looked ahead "Alright everyone. Onward! To the Hidden Land!"

Hidden Land was a very weird place to say the least. The moment we entered the dungeon, all the clouds disappeared and harsh sunlight blanketed the forest around us. No enemy Pokemon other than Magmorter and Tropius could take advantage of the sun however, so it wasn't too bad.

"Ugh, I don't like the sunlight like this. It's burning my skin" Grovyle muttered as he cut down a Rampardos with Leaf Blade "Can it be anything other than harsh sunlight?"

As if the gods were listening, the sunlight was immediately replaced with grey clouds moving in and hailstones falling from the sky.

Grovyle sighed "This isn't any better"

Luckily, a Magmorter came out from behind a hallway and blasted Flamethrower at Grovyle. As the wave of fire flew through the air, a few pieces of hail dropped in and melted into water, weakening the Flamethrower. Grovyle survived the attack with only a major burn as opposed to his entire chest behind burnt through.

"Be cautious everyone. The Pokemon here are dangerous" Priscilla warned as a mystical blue shield formed over her head. The hailstone rocketing towards her bounced harmlessly off the shield. The Prism Ruff was taking effect.

"Yeah, tell me about it" I evaded a Dragonite's Dragon Claw and struck back with Force Palm, pushing it back "I've never seen ANY of these Pokemon before and all of them are strong!"

"Just take them on one at a time Silvin. Don't try to bite more than you can chew" Priscilla flung an Iron Thorn towards the Dragonite's face to harry it "The Pokemon here are tough, but nothing we haven't handled before"

"Pretty sure all of these are Pokemon we never handled before" I finally felled Dragonite with a Quick Attack, but had to deal with a Garchomp on my right "Mind supporting me?"

"I don't think my moves will do a lot against these Pokemon"

"Anything would help"

"Let's see what I can do then" Priscilla's fur bristled and she summoned a storm of wind blades behind her with Vacuum Cut. The wind blades surrounded Garchomp like a swarm of bees, distracting it and allowing me to charge up my Focus Punch. After Garchomp slashed through the last of the air blades, I jumped up and punched it in the chest with Focus Punch, killing it instantly.

"See? You support me with your moves and items while I protect you" I glanced around the room for enemies, but Grovyle covered our back "You don't need to just advise me"

"Sorry Silvin. It's just that… I feel like I'm the weakest member of Team Skylar right now" the Eevee hung her head in shame "Before you protest, just look at everyone else. You, Zelot and Sara are all incredibly strong while Zach, Niko and Henry are easily surpassing me in power. Same goes for Aria and even Ezra"

"Yes, that's true, but…" I slammed my palm into a Bastiodon's mask with Force Palm, breaking it in half "Your main talent as a combatant is your intelligence and resourcefulness, as well as your bravery"

"I know, but I don't like playing the supporting role" Priscilla sighed "I want to be with you back to back, us protecting each other. But now, all you're doing is protecting me"

"You think I don't like that?" I asked as I Quick Attacked a Garchomp, but he shrugged it off and slashed my chest open with Dragon Claw. I dove back to get away, but Garchomp was relentless, preparing to attack again. Suddenly, Grovyle burst from the ground and uppercutted Garchomp in the jaw, making the land shark Pokemon collapse in the dirt.

"You two should be more careful" Grovyle brushed the dirt off his hands "Less talk, more fighting. Especially in a place like this. Get that wound healed too, Silvin"

"I know, I know" I dug through my treasure bag, looking for an Oran Berry, but my chest was killing me. It felt like someone stuck twenty super-heated knives into my rib cage.

"Where are my Oran Berries- Ow!" I shook the ice pieces off my head "Ugh, stupid hail…"

"Here, eat my Oran Berry" Priscilla fed me her berry, healing the slashes on my chest. Another hailstone came down, but the Eevee cut it in half with Wide Slash.

"You know what? I'm sick of this hail" I pulled out a Rainy Orb and shattering it against the floor, turning the grey clouds above us darker as sheets of rain began pouring down. The Magmorters found their Flamethrowers completely useless against Grovyle, who gladly took the chance to kill them with Dig. However, now the Manectrics became a problem.

"Curses. I forgot rain made Thunder easier to execute" I darted sideways to dodge a giant thunderbolt that smote the ground. At least the Manectric weren't smart enough to collapse the trees with their lightning "Why is it that every weather condition here is bad?"

"Could be a test from Dialga to test our adaptability" Priscilla lunged forward and Wide Slashed the Manectric in front of us, creating a long bleeding cut across its neck "Silvin, follow up attack!"

Before the Manectric could counter Priscilla, I smacked it into a tree with Force Palm, taking it out. The rain also made the Tropius easier to handle, as the sun made them as fast as the Drifloon and Drifblim in the future. The Tropius could fire Solarbeams like nobody's business in the sun.

"Hey thanks for changing the weather to rain" Grovyle said as two Magmorters approached us from behind, preparing their arm cannons "Makes the Magmorter much easier to handle"

"No problem- Wait a minute…" I glanced at the sky and saw the clouds break apart. The rain disappeared and harsh sunlight came back.

"Grovyle! Get back!" I yelled as the two Magmorters fired Flamethrower simultaneously at the approaching Grovyle. Luckily, he was fast enough to dig underground before the flames hit him, but they came for us instead.

"No!" I pushed Priscilla out of the way and tried to dart out, I was too late. The flames roared over me, the Valiant Rock in my treasure bag being the only thing that prevented me from being turned to ash. Still, it felt like I was being cooked alive in lava. As the Flamethrowers died down, I fell to one knee, breathing hard. My whole body steamed and every body part was charred and black, threatening to break apart any second. Priscilla stood in front of me protectively, as if she was going to take the Magmorter's next attack for me.

"Ha ha! Look at these two fools, thinking the rain would protect them!" one Magmorter laughed in a heavy voice, like he's been breathing in too much smoke "Little did they know that Hidden Land's weather changes all the time at random!"

"It's really amazing that Dialga can do that" the other Magmorter agreed "Anyways, should we smoke them?"

"Let's give them the special edition flamethrower" the first Magmorter rose his arm cannon "Prepare combination technique: Dual Fire Blast"

"Roger that" the second Magmorter rose his cannon at us and it began to heat up, red hot light concentrating inside the barrel.

"Priscilla…" I coughed "You can't… take…"

"Let's try to escape" Priscilla picked up my burnt body the best she could and ran through the hallway towards the next room.

"They're getting away! You ready partner?" the first Magmorter asked.

"Fire Blast away!" the second Magmorter yelled and both cannons prepared to fire. Suddenly, Grovyle dug out from the ground behind them and slit both Magmorter's throats with his arm blades, killing them instantly.

"Silvin! Priscilla! You can stop!" Grovyle called "I took both of them out!"

"Good because Silvin needs some serious treatment" Priscilla laid me down on the ground and dug through her treasure bag "Grovyle, watch out for incoming enemies. I need to find a Heal Seed and a Oran Berry for Silvin…"

"What did I tell you…?" I croaked "One of your best qualities is your resourcefulness… you use items more than any of us…"

Priscilla remained silent as she continued digging through her bag, a mix of grimness and steel on her face.

"Without… without you… we wouldn't have beaten… Groudon a-and…" I coughed up a puff of smoke, which was worrying. The flames of the Flamethrower must've gotten into my lungs.

"Don't say a word Silvin. Just try to relax" Priscilla placed her paw on my mouth and pulled a Heal Seed from her bag "You're not dying here. I absolutely forbid it"

"Ha… ha…" I laughed weakly "You think I'll die so easily with you around…? You'll chase me to the ends of hell to… get me back. I can't put you through so much"

"You know I'm going to do that" Priscilla fed me the yellow Heal Seed, mending the burns all over my body "So don't die on me"

"Dragonite and Bastiodon up ahead" Grovyle reported as he dropped down from a tree branch. I wasn't even aware he climbed up the trees to scout "The Dragonites are apparently the ones causing the intense sunlight, while the Abomasnow cause the hail"

Priscilla tilted her head as she fed me an Oran Berry "The Abomasnow I can understand, but Dragonites causing intense sunlight?"

"They say that Dragonite's pre-evolution, Dragonair is capable of manipulating the weather" Grovyle scratched his foot against the dirt anxiously "The Dragonite probably still have this ability when they evolve"

"Or they could have the move Sunny Day" Priscilla looked over my body carefully. The burns faded away thanks to the Heal Seed and the Oran Berry healed the charred bits of flesh. It was amazing how much an Oran Berry could heal considering how common it was.

"Either way, the weather state is going to affect how tough the Pokemon will be here" Grovyle pulled out a Petrify Orb and rolled it over to the edge of the hallway we were in "If it's sunny, the Magmorters will easily roast us with their fire. If it's hailing, the Abomasnow have Blizzard. If it's raining, the Manectric have Thunder"

"Is there any way we can negate the weather advantages or something?" Priscilla asked as she helped me onto my feet.

"I remember picking up something called a Weather Band earlier" I said "Would that help?"

"Yes, it would. The Weather Band protects the wearer against all weather-related bonuses enemy Pokemon get" Grovyle explained "So if a Magmorter blasted you with Flamethrower in the sun, the Weather Band will not count the harsh sunlight's fire boost"

"I think you'll be the best candidate for it then" I pulled the grey wool sash from my bag and handed it to Grovyle "Both the Abomasnow and Magmorter are huge threats to you. We don't want the weather making it easier for them"

"Thanks Silvin" Grovyle draped the sash over his shoulder, then glanced behind him. The Dragonite and Bastiodon he saw earlier were approaching. Luckily, the Dragonite stepped on the Petrify Orb Grovyle rolled earlier, completely freezing the two enemy Pokemon in place.

"Good reminder that we've rested long enough" Grovyle turned to me "Are you well enough to fight, Silvin?"

"Yes, I think I can manage" I shook my wrists around "Don't expect me to uphold the front line though"

"Then I'll stay with you guys and not stray too far" Grovyle's arms glowed green as he prepared to use Leaf Blade "I'll take the front. Priscilla will be in the middle, supporting with thorns, seeds and berries. Silvin, you hold the back and protect Priscilla from behind"

"Got it" I nodded and stood behind Priscilla, leaning into her ear to whisper "See? While you may not be as strong as me or Grovyle, you're our supportive medic and seed thrower. That's just as important, if not more than any other role"

"Now you're just flattering me" Priscilla whispered back "Just one last question Silvin: Am I holding you back or being a burden?"

"Now is not the time for insecurities Priscilla" I said "Besides, I've never felt your presence in the team as a burden or something that limits me. Being with you and protecting you is just a natural duty for me"

Priscilla sighed contently "... Thank you Silvin. Maybe we can talk more about this after this is done"

"Yes, you two can do this LATER" Grovyle scowled "While the petrification holds for a long while, Dialga and Temporal Tower do not wait. We have to hurry"

"Sorry Grovyle" I apologized "Anyways, let's go!"

Together, we broke through the Dragonite and Bastiodon and continued on, climbing the 13th, 14th and 15th floors, eventually reaching a rest point.

"Wonder why Dialga has Kangaskhan Statues set up here" I wondered aloud as I pulled a Max Elixir from the pocket dimension "As far as I know, Dialga has never met Ms Kangaskhan or used her storage system"

"Maybe Hidden Land used to be a lost civilization that Dialga claimed as his own" Priscilla suggested as she sorted the items in her bag "And before Dialga took Hidden Land, it was mystery dungeon explored by exploration teams"

"Then why are all the Kangaskhan Statues well… Kangaskhan" I asked "It's like Kangaskhan's the universal storage keeper"

"I heard something in Spinda's Cafe before" Priscilla replied "They said that Ms Kangaskhan inherited the storage business from her mother and her mother inherited the storage from Ms Kangaskhan's grandmother"

"So Kangaskhan's Storage was passed down from Kangaskhan to Kangaskhan in the bloodline?" I looked at the intricately carved stone statue beside me "That sounds… awfully complicated for a storage keeper"

"Best not to think about it. Anyways, let's hurry" Priscilla got off the grass and slung her treasure bag over her body "Grovyle just returned from scouting and he looks anxious to move"

"Better not make him angry then. Let's go" I closed my bag and joined Priscilla and Grovyle on the path into the Hidden Highland.

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 45_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Dig  
_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 41  
_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Grovyle_

 _Level 48_

 _Moves: Leaf Blade, Absorb, Dig and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ****_

 **Dialogue? Check. Hidden Land? Check. Hidden Highland? It's the same as Hidden Land so check. Coming up next is the Old Ruins along with the ascension to Temporal Tower via the Rainbow Stoneship. The end of the main story is approaching, so favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	31. Chapter 30: Final Farewells

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 30: Final Farewells

After trekking 8 floors of Hidden Highland, we reached an ancient hallway lit by torches of mystical fire, meaning they could never douse out. Old and cracked pillars held up the ceiling above us and a pathway of dark brown stones led the way to a staircase ahead.

"Whoa… look at these murals…" Priscilla stared in awe at the ancient murals drawn on the wall, depicting many Pokemon I've never seen before "You know, I read "The Mythical and Legendary Pokemon of the World" with Aria before, so I think I can recognize a few here"

The Eevee pointed to the first mural, depicting a small beige creature with full blue eyes and a long tail "That looks to be Mew, the ancestor to all Pokemon"

We moved to the next drawing, which shown a giant blue basin Pokemon battling with the red behemoth that was Groudon. The mural depicted the blue basin raising a tidal wave above its head while Groudon summoned a wave of earth blades to counterattack. Above them, the grey thunderclouds roared with lightning.

"That is Kyogre and Groudon, creator of the sea and land respectively" Priscilla continued "There's a third one as well: Rayquaza. Said to be the legendary lord of the sky"

The next mural shown a blue armored Pokemon standing back to back with a pink Pokemon streaked with purple stripes. Behind them was a long, snake-like shadow with red eyes and above the three Pokemon were the shining white hooves of another Pokemon.

"The blue one is Dialga, creator of time and the pink one is Palkia, creator of space" Priscilla pointed at the two Pokemon.

"Any idea who the dark shadow and the god-like hooves atop the clouds are?" I asked.

"Hmm… no idea" Priscilla shrugged "Aria's book never mentioned them"

"So I guess this is the Old Ruins Lapras talked about, hm…" Grovyle glanced around the torch-lit hallway "The Rainbow Stoneship should be around here"

"Let's check outside" I suggested and we left the murals behind, arriving at a smoothly carved marble pyramid with four staircases leading up to the top.

"What is this place…?" Priscilla wondered aloud, amazed.

"It's hard to tell, but…" Grovyle gazed at the top of the ancient marble pyramid "I think this is the temple of the Old Ruins"

"A temple? Like, priests used to worship their gods here?" I asked "I don't see any shrines or sacrificial bonfires anywhere though…"

"Well, it was just an observation and an unimportant one" Grovyle stepped onto the smooth black stairs "Let's check what's at the top"

Atop the pyramid was a large version of the Relic Fragment's pattern drawn on the ground in turquoise. A black stone tablet stood in front of the pattern, with writing I've never seen before. It wasn't English nor foot runes.

"Hey look, there's a small indention in the middle of the pattern" Priscilla said, pointing at hole in the floor "The hole is oddly jagged too. Does that mean…"

"Let's see what the tablet says first" Grovyle stared at the stone tablet thoughtfully "It's written in Unown letters, an ancient language. People used this before the creation of foot runes and English"

"What does it say? Can you read it?" Priscilla asked.

"Let's see here…" Grovyle stared at the tablet intently for a few seconds, then snapped his fingers "Okay, I see it now. This "temple" itself is actually the Rainbow Stoneship"

"That's one large ship then" I remarked, rubbing my foot against the smooth marble.

"The tablet said to place the Relic Fragment in the indention here" Grovyle pointed to the jagged hole on the floor pattern "Doing so will activate the Rainbow Stoneship and allow us to go to Temporal Tower"

"Alright, let's do that" Priscilla opened her bag and pulled out her Relic Fragment. Just as she was about to slide the fragment into the hole, a familiar voice called out.

"That'll be quite enough of that"

"No… it can't be" Grovyle tensed and turned behind him "He couldn't have possibly found us that fast"

"But where did the voice come from…?" I glanced around, but nobody was there besides us "Who are you?! Come out and show yourself!"

"Wheh-heh-heh!" Suddenly, six Sableyes rushed up the staircases and completely surrounded us. As the Sableye formed a tight circle around us, the familiar voice laughed.

"Ha ha ha!" Dusknoir himself floated up the right staircase, looking as malicious and triumphant as ever.

"Dusknoir!" Priscilla quickly withdrawn the Relic Fragment and stuffed it into her bag, closing it tight.

"How did you get here?!" Grovyle demanded.

"It was quite simple actually" Dusknoir shrugged nonchalantly "I simply had Master Dialga warp us here directly. We knew you were intending to use the Rainbow Stoneship to fly to Temporal Tower, so we set up an ambush here"

Grovyle growled in anger and frustration, but there was nothing we could do. We were surrounded and the moment we even touched a Sableye, all six of them plus Dusknoir will swarm us and kill us. All we could do is comply with Dusknoir's wishes.

"Sadly, you three are coming back to the future with me" Dusknoir laughed "It must be so upsetting that you worked so hard just to reach here and fall in the end. Fate is cruel, isn't it?"

None of us replied, simply huddling back to back in preparation to defend against the Sableye.

"So… no harsh rebukes or comebacks? You finally realized how hopeless the situation is for you" Dusknoir looked over his Sableye minions "Sableye! Take these three to the dimensional hole!"

"Wheh-heh-heh!" the Sableye obeyed, forcibly dragging us down the eastern staircase and down to a clearing, where a swirling purple portal was waiting. On their own, we could easily overpower the Sableye, but four of them dragging me at once was too much.

"Sableye!" Dusknoir commanded "Back into the dimensional hole with them. Restart all their progress and let them know all their work was for NOTHING!"

"Wheh-heh-heh!" the Sableye cackled in response and began to tug me forward.

"Silvin, Priscilla…" Grovyle whispered "Now's a good time"

"Ready?" I whispered back.

"Now" the Eevee nodded and all three of us pushed back the Sableye with all our strength, setting us free.

"Well, well…" Dusknoir cracked his knuckles "You display some form of resistance, even knowing that it's futile? I commend your effort at least"

"You expected anything less Dusknoir?" Grovyle glared at the gripper Pokemon.

"Hmph, it makes no difference to me" Dusknoir floated in front of us, gesturing to the Sableye to keep a loose circle around us "I'll simply defeat you and take you to the future with me. Makes no difference. If I kill you here, even better"

"Don't think for a second we'll let you do that so easily" I growled, getting into battle stance.

"Will it now? The odds are stacked overwhelmingly against you" Dusknoir's fist glowed with dark energy, flowing into the air around him "How much resistance can you serve up? How much pain and suffering can you take? Show me! Sableye, swarm them!"

"Wheh-heh-heh!"

Immediately, I lunged to the closest Sableye with Quick Attack, but I forgot that Normal and Fighting type moves didn't work against Ghost types.

"Ha ha ha! Foolish Silvin" Dusknoir pounded the ground next to me with Shadow Punch, expelling a pillar of dark energy "Forgot the type advantage so quickly?"

Ignoring Dusknoir, I leaped at him with Bite, but Dusknoir easily evaded it and raised his finger. Strings of dark magic immediately slammed into my jaw, completely disabling my mouth. I couldn't even open it to speak anymore.

"Show me Silvin. What can you do now?" Dusknoir taunted.

"Use the Emit Ring, Silvin! The Emit Ring!" Priscilla shouted as she swiped with Wide Slash at two Sableye, forcing them to back away.

" _The Emit Ring! I forgot about that!"_ I thought as I quickly shoved my hand into my bag to find it " _It's flame reveals Ghost types!"_

"Oh ho, have a gift for me, Silvin?" Dusknoir extended his shadow to punch from beneath me, but I darted backwards to dodge "I'm afraid I don't want to accept it. You're wasting too much on me"

Finally, my hand felt a solid iron ring under all my gear and I pried my hand free, letting the wispy blue flame do its work. Upon noticing the Sableye and Dusknoir, the Emit Ring flashed, blinding them for a few seconds.

"Now strike down Dusknoir!" Grovyle yelled as he swiftly cut down three Sableye with Leaf Blade. Taking the opportunity, I dashed forward and slammed my palm into Dusknoir's chest with Force Palm, delaying the energy blast at the end.

"What? Can even so much as push me? You've gotten weaker" Dusknoir wreathed his fist in shadows to strike me down, but at the last second, I expelled Force Palm's blast straight into Dusknoir's chest, blowing him backwards.

"Silvin! Help Priscilla! I got Dusknoir!" Grovyle commanded and I rushed to Priscilla's side, helping her deal with the four Sableye swarming the Eevee. Thanks to the Emit Ring, I threw aside the Sableye like they were nothing with Force Palm and Focus Punch. Priscilla occasionally fell back to launch a wave of Vacuum Cut, distracting the Sableye as well. Once the Sableye were down, we turned to Grovyle dueling with Dusknoir.

"Well… you can certainly match me in strength" Dusknoir remarked as he clashed Shadow Punch to Leaf Blade with Grovyle "However, I have an edge"

When Dusknoir's Disable wore off on me, I shouted "Grovyle! Watch out!"

Dusknoir's shadow extended behind Grovyle and prepared to strike. Grovyle attempted to dodge, but it was too late as Dusknoir's Shadow Sneak slugged Grovyle in the back, along with Dusknoir himself punching the wood gecko in the stomach. Grovyle collapsed on the ground from the attack, but swiftly escaped via Dig. I rushed towards Dusknoir while Priscilla backed me up with Vacuum Cut.

"Come at me Silvin. If Grovyle can't match against me, how can you?" Dusknoir taunted as he blocked my strikes with his fists. Priscilla's Vacuum Cut slashed Dusknoir from all sides, but the gripper Pokemon wasn't even fazed by it.

"Priscilla! Throw a Sleep or Stun Seed!" I yelled and Priscilla nodded, digging through her treasure bag for a Stun Seed.

"I won't let you do that!" Dusknoir's shadow leaped behind Priscilla and knocked her to the ground, her treasure bag tumbling away.

"Priscilla!" I cried and my guard faltered. Dusknoir slipped a Shadow Punch under by arm and slugged me in the waist, stabbing a spear of shadow energy into my gut.

"Guh… Nngh…." I groaned as my vision darkened and nausea overwhelmed my mind. My arms fell, every part of my body hurt and all my resistance was melting away.

"Have you given up? Have you finally given up?!" Dusknoir's fist left my waist and I fell to the ground like a stone. The gripper Pokemon immediately began pummeling me viciously with his fists "Tell me that you have given up!"

"Silvin! NO!" Priscilla lunged forward with Quick Attack, but was easily batted away by Dusknoir into the stoneship's wall. Priscilla stood up, but was too injured to make another move. While Dusknoir pounded my back with Shadow Punches, every hit sapping more of my life force, I thought:

"Where was Grovyle?"

On cue, Grovyle burst out of the ground and delivered a brutal slice to the back of Dusknoir's neck with Leaf Blade. Dusknoir countered with a swift Ice Punch, but Grovyle ducked and threw a Stun Seed into Dusknoir's face, immobilizing him instantly.

"Let's get this done" Grovyle popped a Violent Seed into his mouth and unleashed a merciless storm of Leaf Blade attacks. Any lesser Pokemon would of been sliced to ribbons instantly.

"Guhh…. D-damn you, Grovyle!" Dusknoir growled, but the Stun Seed's effects held on. Finally, Grovyle stepped back and lunged forward, putting all his momentum into a final strike. Grovyle's arm blade sliced through Dusknoir's "stomach" mouth, nearly cutting him in half. After a long, painful second, Dusknoir finally collapsed on the ground in defeat.

After healing up, we checked Dusknoir's body to see if he was still alive. Grovyle's fury storm of Leaf Blades left dozens of bleeding cuts over his body. If Dusknoir wasn't dead now, blood loss should get him.

"Gwoh… gwoh…" Dusknoir panted and groaned, then slammed the ground with his hands "I… I refuse to lose!"

With a surprising amount of might, Dusknoir got up and slammed us all away, knocking us to the ground.

"You dare… you dare to defy the future?!" Dusknoir rose his hand and all the Sableye rose, as injured as they may be "For all the effort in the world and all the puny power you possess… you still had no chance of winning from the start!"

"You won't be able to take us back to the future Dusknoir" I replied firmly "You and the Sableye are all wounded. Fight us any longer and you'll find yourself dead by blood loss"

"So be it" Dusknoir opened his stomach mouth on the lower half of his body "If so, I plan on taking all of you out with me!"

"The mouth on his stomach opened up!" Priscilla cried in alarm.

"He's going to do something!" Grovyle warned.

As an enormous amount of dark energy began gathering around Dusknoir's stomach mouth, I had an idea.

"Guys, we have to use our combined moves to deflect the shot back into Dusknoir's stomach!" I said "Dusknoir's physical body may be hard to dent, but the inside has to be his weak spot!"

"Would such a thing even work?!" Grovyle cried as the shadow ball began shaking the ruins around us.

"There's no time! We have to do it now!" Priscilla steeled herself "Okay, get ready!"

"TAKE THIS!" Dusknoir yelled, sending the massive shadow ball towards us at lightning fast speed.

"NOW GO!" I shouted and all three of us hit back the shadow ball with a combination Force Palm, Leaf Blade and Quick Attack. Just as fast, the sphere rocketed back to Dusknoir and forcibly went down his stomach mouth.

"GWAAHHHHH!" Dusknoir roared in pain as the dust cleared. Dusknoir clutched his chest in pain, smoke pluming out from the stomach mouth. He tried again and again to rise, but finally, Dusknoir fell, collapsing face first into the ground.

"Wheh? It can't be…" one Sableye stuttered in shock.

"Wheh… Lord Dusknoir… has been defeated?" another Sableye gasped.

"He has…?" a third Sableye looked around in a panic "Run!"

"Wheh!" and with that, all the Sableye fled back into the dimensional hole.

"Heh, all your Sableye ran off" Grovyle smirked "It seems that you can't attract reliable allies"

Dusknoir only groaned in response.

"Priscilla, head back to the top of the temple and get the Rainbow Stoneship going" Grovyle ordered "Me and Silvin will keep Dusknoir under watch"

"Got it!" Priscilla nodded and hiked back up the staircase towards the stoneship.

"If the stoneship works, we can go to Temporal Tower" Grovyle let out a sigh "I hope it activates…"

Dusknoir groaned and we jerked out heads to him in case he recovered.

"Don't you dare move!" Grovyle snapped.

"Urrggh… Silvin… Grovyle…" Dusknoir croaked "Is this… really what you want? If history is changed… we Pokemon of the future will disappear…"

"Don't try to lie to me to get my guard down" I growled "Or is this your last ditch desperation act to lower my morale?"

"It's the truth…" Dusknoir coughed "It won't be just me. You… and Grovyle alike will disappear too. Because you come from a future that will… cease to exist…"

"Grovyle, this can't possibly be the truth" I said to Grovyle "Dusknoir's clearly lying here"

Grovyle didn't reply. Instead, I saw a look of discomfort and sorrow on his face. Grovyle wasn't even looking at me in the eyes, instead gazing at Dusknoir distantly.

"Grovyle? It's… not true, right?"

"... It's true Silvin" Grovyle sighed, meeting my eyes "If we change history… if this quest succeeds… we'll cease to exist because we don't belong in this world"

"... Why? Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" I demanded.

"I didn't think it mattered. Restoring time and saving the world from a doomed future is worth a few lives" Grovyle stared at the dimensional hole intently "I came to the past to do this and accepted my fate. Celebi too. She helped us knowing that she'll disappear if we succeed"

"But why Grovyle? Why did you hide the truth from me?" I asked again.

"Before you turned into a Pokemon and got amnesia, you had the same resolve Silvin" Grovyle continued "You and I came from the future fully accepting what would happen to us if we won"

"Then why didn't you remind me of that resolve?"

"I thought that telling you this earlier will shatter your resolve and decide not to fight Dialga" Grovyle explained "I'm sorry. I intentionally hid the truth from you to get you on my side. I need you Silvin, no matter what form you're in"

"Grovyle, you know me better than anyone" I replied "You know me as a human and a Pokemon. Am I the same person as I was when I was human?"

"... Yes. A near exact replica personality-wise"

"Then that means my resolve is unshaking" I said firmly "If you told me of this condition earlier, then I would of accepted it. It's like you said, saving the world is worth a few lives"

"I was worried that you'll hesitate, given how much you and Priscilla trust each other" Grovyle said, glancing at Dusknoir beside us "Don't you realize this? Disappearing means you'll have to abandon Priscilla and all your comrades in Team Skylar"

I sighed "I hate to say it, but so be it. If that's what it takes to save the world from a dark future, then I'll take it gladly. I hate myself for having to leave Priscilla and all my friends, but there's no other way, is there…?"

"No, there isn't…" Grovyle stared forlornly at the top of the Rainbow Stoneship "There's a difference between our trips to the past. Back then, me and you had nothing to lose. Both of us willingly accepted our fates"

"But now, I have Priscilla and all my friends from Team Skylar" I continued "Like I said earlier, I'll accept this condition if it means the world will be saved"

"Just don't tell this to Priscilla" Grovyle said "You already know how much she loves you. If history is altered and you disappear, Priscilla's heart may suffer a fate worse than death. I don't know if she can even take that much heartache"

"I know Grovyle. I know" I glanced at the stoneship with sad eyes and a frown "But there's nothing we can do, huh…? Priscilla has our friends in Team Skylar to cope with. I just hope her depression doesn't last too long…"

…

Finally, Priscilla made it back to the temple's acropolis. The staircase was a long, tiring hike up.

"Alright, let's see if this thing fits in" Priscilla murmured to herself as she pulled the Relic Fragment from her treasure bag and inserted it into the indention in the ground. The pattern on the fragment glowed and resonated with the floor pattern, sending up a pulsing blue light.

…

"Huh? What's with the light atop the stoneship?" I asked aloud, pointing to the neon blue light.

"That light…! That must mean…" Grovyle stepped towards the staircase excitingly "Priscilla's done it! The stoneship is activated!"

"Gwoh…" Dusknoir groaned next to us, sending our attention back to him "RRAAAAHHHH!"

Suddenly, Dusknoir got up and roared, punching me in the shoulder hard. I tumbled to the ground, stunned.

"I won't… You'll never change history!" Dusknoir roared "DIE, ONCE AND FOR ALL!"

Dusknoir unleashed another massive Shadow Ball from his stomach mouth and I was too stunned to move out of the way. Suddenly, Grovyle dove in front of me and took the attack, leaving him heavily wounded on the ground.

"So you shielded Silvin, Grovyle?!" Dusknoir snarled "Seems like that took a heavy toll on you! Very well! You'll die first!"

Grovyle forced himself to get up, groaning in pain "Urrggh… Not today Dusknoir!

In a blink of an eye, Grovyle grabbed both of Dusknoir's arms and pushed him towards the dimensional hole.

"W-what are you doing?!" Dusknoir cried in alarm, struggling to break free of Grovyle's grip, but Grovyle's grip was as strong as his willpower.

"Urk… Dusknoir!" Grovyle growled "I'm… I'm taking you back to the future with me!"

"Wh-"

"WHAT?!" I cried "Grovyle, you can't go back to the future!"

"Silvin, it's all up to you now!" Grovyle slashed the strap on his treasure bag off, letting the five Time Gears fall onto the ground "Take them to Temporal Tower and restore time everywhere! Do it in my place!"

"Alright everyone, the stoneship's ready to go!" Priscilla came down the steps and gasped "What's… what's going on here?!"

"Priscilla! This is for you two!" Grovyle shoved Dusknoir closer to the portal "I'm taking Dusknoir back to the future with me!"

"WHAT?! You can't do that!" Priscilla protested "Don't leave us Grovyle!"

"I can never come back here again" Grovyle replied firmly "Watch Silvin's back. Promise me!"

"I can't take your place Grovyle! How can someone like me do that?!" Priscilla cried in desperation.

"You must and you will! Because you can, Priscilla!" Grovyle replied determinedly "Because you two are the greatest duo I've ever had the honor of meeting"

"Gah! Unhand me! Release me!" Dusknoir shouted.

"We're almost there! Shut up!" Grovyle growled and turned to me "Take care Silvin. I was lucky to have known you. Though the parting hurts, the rest is in your hands!"

"Grovyle, you can't go! Don't leave us!" I shouted, tears clouding my eyes.

"Goodbye Silvin. I'm sorry" Grovyle turned back to Dusknoir "Sorry for the holdup. We're going in!"

"NO! GROVYLE!" I screamed, but it was already too late. Grovyle and Dusknoir both fell into the dimensional hole, with Dusknoir's strangled scream being the last thing I heard. In a flash, the portal disappeared out of existence.

"G-Grovyle… w-why…" Priscilla wiped her eyes and gathered up the Time Gears scattered on the ground while glancing behind her "The stoneship… the light is getting brighter. It looks like its about to move"

"Let's… let's gather the Time Gears and hurry" I urged, but there was no enthusiasm in my voice. I sounded hollow and empty.

"Yes… let's go to Temporal Tower…" Priscilla carefully slid the last Time Gear into her bag "For Grovyle"

"For Grovyle"

Silently, we hiked back up the stoneship's staircase towards the pulsing light, which was growing brighter and bigger by the second.

"We better get on quick. It sounds like its about to move" Priscilla would of sounded surprised, but her voice was hard with grief, like a dam struggling not to break. When we got on, the stoneship took off, a circular piece of stone lifting from the temple's acropolis and into the sky above. As the stoneship flew, a trail of rainbows were left behind us.

"I guess this is where the name "Rainbow Stoneship" comes from, huh…" I murmured absently as I gazed into the sky of the setting sun. Temporal Tower was approaching fast.

"Silvin, I need to swear a vow" Priscilla stared at me with a determined stare "We will prevent the planet's paralysis. We will rid the world of a dark future. We will create a world where good Pokemon like Grovyle can finally live happily. No matter what, we're going to win and bring Grovyle back from the future. I swear this on my life!"

"Priscilla…" I would of responded, but I stared at the stoneship's floor with sorrowful eyes.

" _Everything except the last vow will be true"_ I thought " _We'll defeat Dialga and prevent the planet's paralysis, but… when time is restored, Pokemon of the future like Grovyle will disappear"_

I glanced at Priscilla, who was staring at Temporal Tower in the distance.

" _And I'll disappear too. I know she has our friends at camp to cope but… I'm worried she'll hurt herself over trying to bring both me and Grovyle back"_ I thought " _I can only pray that our friends can get her over it. This is our last adventure and I'll do anything and everything to make it the most glorious yet. After losing so much, Priscilla deserves to be praised as a hero"_

Soon after, the stoneship brought us to Temporal Tower's island, a floating mass of rocks as if they were suspended in time. A smooth rocky path led the way to the azure blue tower, with red clouds thundering purple lightning over it.

"Here we are at Temporal Tower" Priscilla murmured "No turning back now"

We arrived at Temporal Tower's entrance shortly after, the entry gate designed after the hands of clock. Glowing lines of purple light flickered all over the tower. Suddenly, the ground shook around us, startling us.

"Priscilla! Move!" I grabbed Priscilla towards me as a chunk of blue stone fell from the tower and landed next to us.

"What was that tremor…?" Priscilla murmured, then gasped "Oh no! The tower's collapsing! The planet's paralysis is close!"

"Let's hurry then! We have to make it to the pinnacle as fast as possible!" I urged and we charged into the Temporal Tower, the last adventure me and her will ever share.

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 46_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Dig  
_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 43  
_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **Here we are, at the second last chapter of the main story. All I can say is that the next chapter will be Temporal Tower, Temporal Spire and the final boss battle with Dialga. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!**


	32. Chapter 31: Dialga

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 31: Dialga

Temporal Tower was challenging beyond belief. In addition to the gradually falling marble pillars and the ominous cracks spreading through the dark blue floor, Temporal Tower was filled to the brim with strong Pokemon. The Solrock, Lunatone and Bronzong displayed psychic power unlike ever before, capable of lifting entire chunks of marble to hurl at us.

"Ironically, they're using the tower to kill us" Priscilla remarked as a fallen pillar flew past us and smashed into a wall, shattering into dozens of pieces "They're defending the tower and destroying it at the same time"

"Maybe they already accepted that the tower's going to collapse" I replied, smashing a incoming boulder with Force Palm "Or perhaps they're like Dialga, obsessed with self-preservation to the point of destroying the literal time stream to survive"

"It's sad if you think about it" the Eevee unleashed a wave of Vacuum Cut at a clump of opposing Bronzor "Fearing the future to the point of going insane"

"All the more reason to reach the pinnacle and deliver the Time Gears" I focused ahead, careful to alert more enemy Pokemon "I would say to be careful of the Porygon-Z and Salamence, but everything is incredibly tough here"

"Let's just stay far, far away from them" Priscilla replied "Although it's going to be hard, given how the Porygon2 and Porygon-Z have Discharge"

"We already know how powerful that move is thanks to Niko" I groaned "And I'd rather not be on the receiving end"

"All we can do it avoid them the best we can and endure when necessary" Priscilla placed her paw on my shoulder gently "No matter what Silvin, don't lose hope. Don't despair over Grovyle. We have to keep moving forward with our heads held high to complete the mission. This is what Grovyle would of wanted"

"What? I need motivation now?" I laughed quietly, but Priscilla's comforting words washed over me, easing the gut-wrenching pain in my body "But thanks. I needed that"

"I just didn't want you to lose focus and make a careless mistake" Priscilla said "If you can't tell, I simply cannot afford to lose you after Grovyle's sacrifice. So don't die Silvin. Please…"

"... I won't. I swear" I murmured back, but in the back of my mind, it pained me to lie to her. I knew lovers should be open and honest with each other, but I couldn't bring myself to reveal the truth. If I did, Priscilla's morale will be crushed and she might even begin to bail out on the mission to keep me alive. That was just how caring she was towards me.

"Stop" Priscilla broke me out of my thoughts and froze me in my tracks. Right in front of me was a large rectangular room with many items scattered about, a few Gummis and a Sun Ribbon.

"This has to be a Monster House. There's no way so many good items will just be lying around" I whispered to Priscilla.

"We have no choice though. The stairs are here" the Eevee pointed at a set of blue marble stairs leading up to the next floor on the wall "So in case this IS a Monster House, we need to prepare a Petrify Orb in advance to freeze the enemy"

"Let me see if I have one…" While I dug through my bag, a chill went down my neck. Before I realized it, a Bronzong threw a fallen pillar like a battering ram, knocking both of us into the room.

"Ow! What in the world-" I felt my back, feeling no broken bones. Priscilla was fine too, but a bigger problem was all around us. The ceiling shifted like a mirage and dozens of Solrocks, Lunatones, Porygon2s and Bronzongs fell from the air.

"Run!" I cried and both of us made a mad dash towards the stairs, but a Bronzong intercepted us, creating a psychic barrier with Reflect to block us out. A Porygon2 beside us began moving side to side vigorously with Agility, greatly boosting its speed. A Solrock took a test shot against me by calling down a hailstorm of rocks with Rock Slide. While I darted away, I noticed that Solrock executed Rock Slide at a surprising speed too.

Then it all came crashing down on me.

"Agility doesn't just boost the speed of the user" Priscilla murmured "It doubles the speed of all allied Pokemon in the room…!"

On cue, every single Porygon2 unleashed Discharge after Discharge, filling the entire room with electricity, zapping us from every direction. The Solrocks and Lunatone shot down dozens of Rock Slides, burying us under a pile of boulders and the Bronzong used their psychic power to pound us over and over with the boulders. We were tossed all over the place like we were in a blender. A blender full of electricity and rocks.

"S-Silvin!" Priscilla gasped for breath, struggling to pick herself off of the floor "The Petrify Orb!"

"I-I can't find it!" I cried while I dodged another Rock Slide, but ended up being stabbed in the back by Discharge "I don't have anymore orbs!"

"Find one in my bag! Hurry!" Priscilla quickly shoved her bag off her body and unleashed two waves of Vacuum Cut, intercepting the Discharges and distracting the enemy Pokemon briefly "I should have a Slumber Orb inside there!"

"Damn it! Why do you carry so much stuff in here…!" I dug through all the supplies in Priscilla's bag, desperately trying to find any small blue orb inside "Finally!"

Without looking, I smashed the crystal orb onto the ground, summoning a shining ball of light above us.

"That was the Sunny Orb you idiot!" Priscilla growled, continuously firing wave after wave of Vacuum Cut to harry the enemy "Hurry and use the Slumber Orb! I'm running out of PP on Vacuum Cut here!"

"I know! I know! I'm trying!" I resumed by search again through Priscilla's bag, but suddenly, the Eevee cried out.

"Silvin! Behind you!"

Before I could look behind me, Priscilla threw herself in front of me to shield me from a Porygon2's Thunderbolt. Dozens of electric tendrils lanced through the Eevee's body, knocking her completely unconscious and paralyzed.

"Priscilla!" I wanted to march right up to that damn Porygon2's face and shatter it to pieces with Focus Punch, but I was surrounded and outmatched. Priscilla's storm of Vacuum Cuts was only going to buy me a few more seconds. I finally found a Slumber Orb in Priscilla's bag and slammed it against the ground, spreading a plume of sleeping gas in the room. I covered my face in Priscilla's treasure bag and within seconds, all the enemy Pokemon were sleeping blissfully. Carefully, I secured the unconscious Priscilla on my shoulder and gathered up the items in the room. The Reflect barrier wore off overtime and allowed me to ascend to the next floor.

…

Everything hurt. Priscilla's head throbbed from being slammed headfirst into a wall thanks to a psychically thrown boulder. Every limb in her body felt paralyzed and sore, like someone blasted her with millions of electrical voltage. Oh wait, she WAS blasted with millions of electrical voltage. Thanks to the Porygon2s and Zs.

" _Silvin… I'm…"_ Priscilla thought listlessly in her unconscious state " _I'm so sorry. You… you had to protect me again. Why am I such a burden…?"_

"You're not a burden" Priscilla heard Silvin's voice beside her. Maybe she was murmuring her thoughts aloud? "One of your biggest weaknesses is your immense modesty. You never see your strengths and instead, only see your weaknesses. That leads to a terrible self-esteem. Correct me if I wrong. Do you think of yourself as weak compared to the rest of us in Team Skylar?"

"Y-yes…" Priscilla whispered. Silvin's voice washed over Priscilla, letting her eyes open to see the Riolu selflessly carrying her on his shoulder "I AM weak. D-did you see me back there? I… I couldn't even take a Thunderbolt from those s-stupid Porygon2s…! And now you're carrying me again. Like always"

"But don't you remember? Before the Porygon2 attacked with Thunderbolt, YOU were the one who shielded me. Given my weakened state, I would of been knocked out if it weren't for you" As Silvin turned to smile at Priscilla, the Eevee noticed Silvin stumbling as he walked and dried blood stained his body. Priscilla could feel the throbbing in her head and the paralysis in her limbs slowly fading away.

"You had a bad bruise on top of your head" Silvin gently touched Priscilla's fur atop her head, which was sticky and dry with blood "Along with many gashes and cuts from the Rock Slides. It's almost a miracle that I had a Sitrus Berry on hand"

"A Sitrus Berry…? You used that on me?" Priscilla's voice slowly grew stronger with Silvin's every step "Do you know how rare and powerful those berries are? You never should of wasted them on me"

"You underestimate the severity of your injuries" Silvin scolded "You… you were on the verge of death. You didn't just bruise your head. You… you cracked your skull"

"Oh"

"The gashes you got were as big and as long as my arm" Silvin held up his arm for emphasis "Okay, maybe not AS big, but still serious. You were lying in a pool of blood when I activated the Slumber Orb. I didn't have enough Oran Berries to heal you completely, so I had to use the Sitrus"

"Then how was I… able to…" Despite suffering from catastrophic injuries, Priscilla somehow found the strength to pick herself up and hold off the enemy for Silvin to find the Slumber Orb "If was THAT injured then… how was I able to hold off the Monster House for that long?"

"I honestly don't know" Silvin shook his head "Maybe it was the adrenaline that kept you going or perhaps…"

Suddenly, Silvin kissed Priscilla's cheek, causing the Eevee to blush "Perhaps it was just your inner desire to protect me. You said back in Hidden Land "I want to stand back to back with you, us protecting each other""

"Yes and that desire still holds" Priscilla sighed "But here you are again, being my guardian. I can't help but feel useless, even after you reassured me about it in Hidden Land"

"We're going to need to improve that modesty of yours" Silvin scowled "Don't you remember? I told you what your biggest strengths were and what your best role was on the team. You're resourceful, smart and not afraid to put your life on the line to protect us. You are far from useless and instead, may be the most important member on our team"

Before Priscilla could respond, she spotted two Bronzors approaching us through the hallway "Silvin, you can't fight two Bronzor with me on your shoulders"

"And you're too weak to walk on your own" Silvin countered, digging into his bag for a Stun Seed "Don't worry, I learned from your usage of items. Who need moves when you have these?"

Silvin threw his Stun Seed across the hallway, unleashing a small burst of light that blinded the Bronzors temporarily. That allowed Silvin to easily walk up to them and take them down with Focus Punch.

"And if you're worried about standing back to back with me and us protecting one another, you're already doing that" Silvin reminded the Eevee "I protected you in Hidden Land from the two Magmortars. You shielded me from the Porygon2's Thunderbolt. In both cases, we had to rely on each other to continue on. YOU are the reason my resolve to save the world is unwavering. Call me selfish if you like, but I want to spend years living blissfully by your side without the threat of a dark future"

"Silvin…" Priscilla was moved to near tears "I…"

"So no more doubting yourself and feeling useless" Silvin said firmly "Just because you take a fall doesn't make you weak. It means you're a Pokemon with emotions, a conscious and a soul. These things happen because you're being a hero and saving someone else"

"Silvin…" Priscilla slipped a little off the Riolu's shoulder "I think I can walk now. I'm going to show you that I am capable of standing on equal footing with you. I'm not going to be a burden again. I'm never going to upstage you, nor hold you back. We'll be equals, walking the path of life together"

"That's the spirit" Silvin laughed, but it sounded hollow for some reason "Come on then partner. We'll end this journey together"

Little did Priscilla knew, the last line was more true than it should be…

…

I mentally kicked myself over and over again for lying to Priscilla. Everything I said to comfort her and my inner desire to be with her was all a fake ploy to give Priscilla hope and morale for the upcoming battle. Sure, I wanted to remain in this world and be together with everyone, but there wasn't changing destiny. If me and Priscilla prevail today, I disappear into nothingness. If we lose, we either die or live long enough to see the world fall into darkness. Neither path was a happy ending.

"Something the matter?" Priscilla poked my arm gently, startling me "You have a distraught look on your face. Feeling nervous?"

"Y-yeah! I'm nervous!" I lied again, scratching the back of my head "We're on floor twelve, yet it felt like ages already. Just nervous we won't make it in time"

"We can tell our time limit all around us" Priscilla gestured to a large white pillar gradually falling to the ground "Concentrate on its movement as its going down"

I stared at the pillar for a bit, noticing that it gradually grew faster as it fell, eventually crashing against the floor and shattering into dozens of pieces.

"So the faster things fall, the less time we have?" I guessed, eyeing the cracks spreading across the floor.

"More or less. Which means we have to hurry" Priscilla glanced ahead and spotted a staircase leading up to the next floor "There's the staircase to floor thirteen. Are we ever going to reach the pinnacle…?"

"If you didn't notice before, Temporal Tower is gigantic" I replied, carefully avoiding a Explosion Trap "This may very well be fifty floors"

"Fifty floors..? Forget being defeated by Dialga. I'll be dead before even reaching the midway point" Priscilla deadpanned.

"Is that a hopeless remark I'm hearing?" I raised an eyebrow "Not matter what Priscilla, we are-"

"Going to see this mission through, no matter how tough it is" the Eevee finished "I was just joking around"

"I'm surprised to hear that from you. Not too long ago, you were on my shoulders muttering about being useless and a burden" I commented as we hiked the smooth stone steps into the next floor "You regained an optimistic, if not morbid attitude fast"

"Well, who walks into battle feeling depressed?" Priscilla shrugged "If you're fighting to save the world, you have to have your head held high at least"

"True" We made it to the Temporal Spire, signified by the change in design in the tower. Down in the lower base of Temporal Tower, it was a simple thirteen floors made of dark blue floor tiles and kingly white marble pillars. Now, Temporal Spire featured white quartz tiles along with smaller pillars holding up the ceiling, open to the night sky air around us. Since they were no enemies around, me and Priscilla took a second to gaze at the view.

"Amazing… I can't believe Temporal Tower went this high…" Priscilla marveled, watching the stream of clouds fly past the mystical tower. The full moon was right next to us, bathing the entire spire in a light blue hue.

"I remember being able to see the pinnacle from the bottom of the tower, surrounded by red clouds thundering purple lightning" I recalled as we broke away from the railing connecting the pillars and continued on "But now, the spire of Temporal Tower is above the clouds. Is Dialga intentionally raising the tower to challenge us?"

"That could be it. Either that or the island Temporal Tower's floating on is rising" Priscilla shrugged, then glanced at the nearby pillars worriedly "Cracks are slowly running down these pillars too. We're running out of time"

"Let's get a move on then. The spire should lead up to the pinnacle" I stepped in front of Priscilla, carefully checking around for enemies "We have to be wary at all times. Being closer to our destination means stronger Pokemon"

"And we don't want another Porygon2 incident" the Eevee winced "Lead the way Silvin"

I was right about the spire having stronger Pokemon. The Bronzor, Solrock, Lunatone, Porygon and Porygon2 were completely replaced by hordes of Porygon-Z, Metagross, Salamence and Bronzongs. There was no way we were able to face down even two of them together, so we avoided as many as we can and used seeds to subdue others.

"We need to conserve all the seeds we can" Priscilla said as she picked up an X-Eye Seed from the floor "If we have to fight Primal Dialga, these seeds could be life or death for us"

"My entire life is in the hands of a seed now" I sighed, throwing a Blast Seed at a Metagross to distract it, then took it down with Dig "Just… wonderful"

"Just try not to overthink it. After all, it was thanks to the Sleep and X-Eye Seeds that we defeated the illusion Groudon at Fogbound Lake" Priscilla replied, quickly throwing an Iron Thorn like a dart into a Salamence's eye, buying us time to escape "And every time we're on the verge of death, we use Reviver Seeds to revitalize us. We're still alive thanks to seeds"

"Yeah, it's probably best not to overthink it" I nodded, knocking out a Porygon-Z with Force Palm before it could unleash Discharge "Still, it's hard to believe we escaped death so many times thanks to these tiny little seeds"

"It's the little things that truly keep us alive and well" Priscilla agreed "The things we take for granted and don't notice are the things that actually keep us alive. Like the sun, the air around us and these little seeds"

"You realized that after watching the sunrise with Grovyle, right?" I asked, then I winced at the mention of Grovyle "Sorry. I'm uhh… still a bit touchy with Grovyle"

"Don't worry about it. I am too" Priscilla stared at the floor sadly "But yeah, I came to this revelation after watching the morning sunrise. I brushed past it so many times, but that was the first time I truly admired its beauty"

"We're so focused on the things we have to do that we forget just how beautiful the world is" I gestured to the shining moon beside me "If we didn't need to reach the pinnacle, I would of sat here and watched the moon and clouds passing by for hours. They're just so… relaxing to watch"

"I agree. So that adds another one to our list" Priscilla smiled.

"Huh? What list?"

"Our list on things to do together after this is done" Priscilla replied simply "Stargaze atop a high hill and watch the moon and clouds past by. That's two so far"

"That list is going to be _long_ after we're done here" I grinned, then faltered "Actually Priscilla, I can't-"

Before I could continue, three Salamence crashed from the floor above us, roaring and thrashing around, destroying everything in their sight.

"Priscilla! We need a Slumber Orb!" I cried, dodging one Salamence's Flamethrower which melted a pillar into a pile of goo "Hurry!"

"No time Silvin! Just break for the stairs!" Priscilla cried, ducking a Salamence's Iron Tail that toppled four pillars at once, making the floor above us tilt to the left slightly. We raced up the nearby staircase, with the three raging Salamence trailing behind us.

"Just what's going on with these Salamence?!" I cried as I heard wings flapping overhead. Angry roars echoed through the floor, the Salamence preparing their Flamethrowers to reduce the ground to ash. The three dragon's wings sliced apart pillars and sacred monuments as they flew by, destroying the tower even faster.

"The collapse of the Temporal Tower is driving them insane!" Priscilla tossed a Stun Seed high into the air, but the Salamence roasted it to ash with their breath "Damn it!"

"They're too focused on us for seeds to work" I ducked a stream of flames roaring over my head "Could orbs work?"

"When orbs break, they release a plume of gas that affect the Pokemon breathing it in" Priscilla's eyes darted to the high wall next to us "If we aim a Slumber or Petrify Orb to the wall on our left, the resulting release should hit the Salamence"

"Let's try it. I'm not sure how useful the orbs will be against Dialga anyways" I fished a Petrify Orb out from my treasure bag and was about to throw it when Priscilla plucked it out of my hand.

"I have more experience throwing items. We need to make this shot with the best accuracy possible" Priscilla took aim as a pillar crashed behind us thanks to a Metagross "No offense, of course"

"None taken. Just throw it already" I nodded and Priscilla threw the sky blue orb towards the wall, the shot arcing a smooth curve before shattering, unleashing a wave of gas that instantly paralyzed the Salamence pursuing us. Unable to continue flying, the Salamence fell to the ground like rocks and crashed through the floor, destroying more and more of Temporal Tower as they went down. What alarmed me was just how fast the destruction was going.

"This is bad…" Priscilla grit her teeth with frustration and worry "Temporal Tower is slowly collapsing faster than ever. The pillar the Metagross destroyed earlier broke into pieces almost instantly"

I briefly flashbacked to a Solrock using psychic force to mentally shatter a pillar into pieces back on floor three. When the pillar broke, its pieces fell to the ground in slow motion, as if the air was syrup. Now, small chips and pieces were raining down from the ceiling, signifying just how little time we had left. Minor tremors shook the tower too, taking down corners of the floor tiles or a railing.

"I wonder how far we are into the spire and if we're close to the pinnacle" I focused ahead, glancing around for signs of the staircase "Because the cracks spreading across the floor are starting to worry me…"

Priscilla stared at the cracks on the floor briefly, then yelped as the tiles gave way and broke apart, collapsing onto the ground below us.

"We're running out of time. We have to hurry" Priscilla insisted.

"I couldn't agree more" I nodded, then turned to my left, where a set of royal white stairs led up to a titanic pair of doors. Each door was marked with a dark blue clock, like an emblem.

"Priscilla, now would be a good time to heal up, no matter how little wounds you're suffering from" I instructed, digging out an Oran Berry to heal my fatigue and wounds "Because up ahead is the doors leading to the pinnacle"

"Okay, I'm ready Silvin" Priscilla nodded, eyes blazing with determination "Let's finish this once and for all"

"Then let's go" We marched towards the doors, doors made for a giant. I pushed on both with all my might, each one letting out a huge creak, like they haven't been used in centuries.

"Here we are" Priscilla sucked in a breath in anticipation "The Temporal Pinnacle"

Howling winds rushed by us as we walked the cracked floors of Temporal Pinnacle. A few short intricately crafted pillars stood, but most were collapsed on the ground or broken in half. The sky and moon above us disappeared and was replaced by swirling dark red clouds thundering purple lightning. The air around us was thick with tension and unease. I heard eerie ticking nearby, like a clock was counting down the very second when Temporal Tower collapses.

"So here we are…" I glanced around uneasily "Where do we put the Time Gears…?"

"Look Silvin! Up ahead!" Priscilla pointed to a monument at the head of the pinnacle, shimmering in low multicolored light. A small set of stairs led up to a circular stone plate with five holes and a glowing unrecognizable pattern. The holes looked like someone ripped out whatever was there before.

"Five holes… looks like they've been ripped out…" I murmured, then snapped "Priscilla, this is where we put the Time Gears! Hurry!"

"Right! I'm on it!" Priscilla opened her bag and drew the five Time Gears out, carefully making her way to the steps. Suddenly, a purple thunderbolt flew from the red clouds above, missing Priscilla by an inch.

"Eek!" Priscilla stepped back fearfully, as if the monument was booby-trapped. Before I could register what happened, everything around us turned dark, like an octopus plumed the sky with its ink.

"Who… who made everything dark…?" Priscilla whispered, almost whimpering.

"GRRRRR..." A low, ominous growling filled the air around the pinnacle, nearly killing me with terror alone "SO IT'S YOU! YOU ARE THE ONES SEEKING THE DESTRUCTION OF TEMPORAL TOWER!"

"No! You have it all wrong!" Somehow, Priscilla put on a brave face and shouted into the gloom "We're here to prevent time from stopping!"

"TIME… STOPPING…?" The voice muttered repeatingly "TIME… STOPPING…? TIME… GRRROOOO!"

The darkness around the pinnacle dispelled as a titanic roar echoed into the dark sky. A dark blue, armored Pokemon appeared out of thin air and landed on the floor, shaking the pillars slightly.

"Aaahhh! D-D-D-Dialga…!" Priscilla whimpered in fear.

"YOU! YOU DARE BRING RUIN TO TEMPORAL TOWER?!" Primal Dialga roared.

"N-no! You're wrong!" Priscilla shouted the best she could "We're here with the Time Gears to restore time! We're not destroying Temporal Tower!"

"SILENCE!" Dialga roared again "TO ALL THOSE WHO THREATEN TEMPORAL TOWER, I WILL SHOW NO MERCY. PREPARE TO DIE!"

"I really hope it didn't have to come to this Silvin!" Priscilla focused on me, determination replacing her fear "But we have to fight to bring Dialga back to his senses! He's not fully consumed by the darkness yet!"

"Then let's fight. For Grovyle, for our friends and FOR THE FUTURE!" I shouted as Dialga roared in challenge, beginning the final fight I'll ever have.

"GRRROOO! HOW CAN LITTLE WORMS LIKE YOU TAKE ON ME?!" Primal Dialga roared, energy gathering in his mouth "TAKE THIS!"

The energy in Dialga's mouth exploded in a flash of light, peppering the ground around us in searing hot blue flames. I felt the attack steal away every drop of my lifeforce, draining me to the last molecule.

"Guh…" I gasped for breath and struggled to stand "What… what did…"

"It's just like Aria described…" Priscilla's breathing was raspy, like Dialga's attack sucked the air out of her lungs "Dialga's signature attack, Roar of Time…"

"So powerful that it can… reverse time to the point you become a newborn…" I brought myself up, steam curling my skin "But… but we can't give up. Every time Dialga does that, he wears himself down. If… if we can survive… we can take advantage…"

"Silvin, you need to heal" Priscilla chided "You sound like you're about to faint"

"Give me an Oran Berry and Violent Seed" I ordered "I need to land a Focus Punch or two on Dialga. That's the only way we can win"

"I'll help by distracting him with seeds" Priscilla nodded, tossing me the items I asked for "Please be careful Silvin"

"... Yeah, I will" I popped both items at the same time and rushed towards Primal Dialga, burning hot energy gathering onto my fist. Dialga regained his energy and brought down his claws twice the side of butcher knives. I darted to the side and avoided Metal Claw, the attack pounding a crater into the ground. I threw my Focus Punch towards Dialga's red core, but the temporal Pokemon easily dodged it despite his size. Primal Dialga countered with Dragon Claw just as fast, sending me flying to the ground. Priscilla threw a Stun Seed towards Dialga's eyes, but he easily crushed it with Ancient Power.

"He's powerful. Too powerful" I began looking around the pinnacle for some sort of terrain advantage, but there was nothing but fallen and partially damaged pillars.

"If we collapse the pillars onto Primal Dialga, we might buy time for you to land a Stun or Sleep Seed" I said, glancing at Dialga nearby. He was watching us closely, as if daring us to attack him again.

"But if we do that, we're speeding up Temporal Tower's collapse!" Priscilla protested.

"We don't have much of a choice! I can't distract Dialga long enough for you to land a seed and we definitely can't overpower him on our own" I grit my teeth in frustration and prepared to punch down a pillar "Here I go…"

I put all my strength into my fist and punched down a tall marble pillar, sending it down onto Dialga's head. While the temporal Pokemon smashed it to pieces, I raced over to another one and broke it down, the pillar slamming into Dialga's head. I repeated the cycle with the other two pillars around until a mountain of broken marble was on the ground alongside dust and Dialga groaning in annoyance.

"Now's your chance!" I urged Priscilla "Throw the seed!"

Priscilla lobbed a Sleep Seed into the dust cloud and soon after, I heard snoring that shook the ground around us. I dashed towards the sleeping Dialga, gaining momentum and allowing energy to gather on my fist again.

"Take this!" I threw my energized hand in an uppercut motion, blazing a trail of fire behind me. My Focus Punch collided with Dialga's jaw, nearly cracking the armor on his face in half. Primal Dialga roared in anger and countered with Metal Claw, bringing down steel claws that could slice Gyarados into sushi. Before the Metal Claw hit me, a Stun Seed flew into Dialga's eyes, paralyzing him in place temporarily.

"GRROOO! YOU THINK YOU CAN PULL THE SAME TRICK TWICE?!" Dialga bellowed "I AM THE RULER OF TIME, FOOL!"

Primal Dialga roared, dark blue energy gathering in his mouth. I slammed a Focus Punch into the red core on his body armor, but the temporal Pokemon wasn't even fazed. He unleashed the energy sphere into a apocalyptic shockwave, destroying everything with fiery blue explosions. When I picked myself off of the ground, breathing hard, I nearly fainted with shock. Primal Dialga's face and body armor were completely healed and he moved freely. He used Roar of Time to send himself back in time before we even did anything!

"No… no, no, no!" Priscilla cried in a panic "Did he just…?"

"NOW YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO CHALLENGE THE GOD OF TIME!" Dialga shouted "I CAN FREELY REVERSE TIME ON MYSELF ENDLESSLY TO UNDO ANY DAMAGE YOU DO! HOW CAN YOU PREVAIL AGAINST ME?!"

"Priscilla, we can't give up, no matter what!" I insisted "Even if the odds are impossible, we'll continue fighting until we die! We just need a new strategy"

"But what can we do?" Priscilla pleaded, looking hopeless "No matter what we do, Dialga can just reverse time to undo all our damage!"

"Then let's not focus entirely on defeating Dialga" I stared at the monument where the five Time Gears were supposed to go "I'll distract Dialga and you go put the Time Gears into the monument. That should restore time and bring Dialga back to his senses"

"Take these then" Priscilla handed me two Sleep Seeds and two Stun Seeds "Keep Dialga busy while I slide the Time Gears in. Please don't die Silvin. That's all I ask"

"I'm not going to throw away my life without a fight" I accepted the seeds and closed them into my hand "Good luck"

I faced Dialga again, who was eyeing us patiently.

"MY ROAR OF TIME IS SO POWERFUL THAT EVEN I MUST REGAIN MY ENERGY AFTER!" Dialga boasted "YET YOU DON'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT?! YOU ARE TOO KIND HEARTED!"

"Unlike you, my heart isn't consumed by darkness and hate" I glared at Dialga in the eye, my hand glowing with the purple energy of Force Palm. I still felt the strength and clarity from the Violent Seed coursing through my arms and mind. "Dialga! It's you and me now! Me and you to the death!"

"HA HA HA! WHERE IS YOUR WORTHLESS PARTNER THEN?!" Dialga's eyes darted to the small figure darting behind the fallen pillars "IS SHE HERE?!"

"Right here!" I slammed my Force Palm into Dialga's leg, forcing the legendary Pokemon's attention back to me. It countered with Metal Claw, but I dashed away with Quick Attack, throwing my first Stun Seed.

"YOU THINK THAT PETTY SEED WILL STOP ME?!" Dialga summoned a volley of boulders with Ancient Power and crushed the seed effortlessly. But it was all a ploy for me to rush back in.

"Wrong move!" My Focus Punch collided with Dialga's body armor, spreading cracks through the titanium plating. The red core in the armor only glowed brighter with every attack against it, like it was a meter for Dialga's health. Me and Dialga clashed for quite some time, fists against claws. Whenever Dialga attempted to Roar of Time to heal his wounds, I stopped it with a well placed Focus Punch to the face or a Sleep Seed.

"Priscilla! Are you there yet?" I called as I drank a Max Elixir to restore Focus Punch's PP. Dialga was snoring loudly beside me.

"Almost there! It's hard to get my footing when the tower is shaking so much!" Priscilla replied, drawing the five Time Gears from her bag.

"Shaking? What shaking?" I stared at the ground and noticed that cracks were spreading faster. The entire tower shook with every second. The tower's collapse was close!

"Hurry Priscilla! Fit the gears in before the tower collapses!" I cried as Dialga began to wake up. I Focus Punched his nose, knocking the temporal Pokemon out briefly "We only have a minute to spare!"

"I'm going! I'm going!" the Eevee placed each Time Gear one at a time into the monument, every gear glowing with ancient blue light. Primal Dialga awoke to the noise and roared, sending a cluster of boulders to attack Priscilla. I threw my last Stun Seed from behind and paralyzed Dialga while I ran to protect Priscilla. However, I lost my footing from the intense shaking of the tower and fell to the ground.

"Priscilla! Watch out!" I yelled as the boulders flew straight towards her. The Eevee didn't even look back and summoned a storm of air blades with Vacuum Cut to intercept the boulders. The wind blades sliced every boulder to rubble and let Priscilla fit in the last Time Gear.

"NO! DON'T YOU DARE!" Primal Dialga roared, but the Stun Seed's paralysis held him down.

"Do it Priscilla! End this once and for all!" I yelled.

The Eevee rose the last Time Gear, fitting it into the top slot on the monument.

"NOOOOO!" Dialga let out an earth-shattering roar, but he could do nothing as the circular stone plate flashed with mystical blue light. The entire monument rumbled and pulsed with energy, but the tremors didn't stop.

"W-what?! Why?" Priscilla shouted "I put the Time Gears in the right place! Why aren't these tremors stopping?!"

The tower's shaking grew stronger and stronger, pillars collapsing and cracks splitting open like chasms, revealing the endless drop below. The clouds above us boomed with lightning, striking down everything in sight on the pinnacle.

"Was… was I too late…?" Priscilla mumbled hopelessly "Will Temporal Tower continue to collapse? Did we… did we fail in preventing the planet's paralysis?"

I got up and looked at the destruction around us, the floor collapsing under Dialga's paralyzed body, bringing the legendary Pokemon down with a desperate roar. The last of the pillars shattered behind us and the tremor grew to its maximum power, so strong that I couldn't even stand.

"Priscilla…" I hugged the Eevee tightly "I'm sorry…"

"Silvin… we failed… Grovyle…." Priscilla sobbed into my chest before the monument flashed and everything went dark.

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 47_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Dig  
_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 45  
_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **Prepare your tissue box and "Don't Ever Forget" for the next chapter. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time  
**


	33. Interlude: Oathbreaker

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Interlude: Oathbreaker

When I regained consciousness, I opened my eyes to clear blue skies and the morning sun rising over the horizon. The red clouds and purple lightning were gone and the pinnacle, while mostly destroyed, was still intact.

"We… won…?" I got up and rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming. The view didn't fade away. Temporal Tower was still standing!

"Priscilla! Priscilla, wake up!" I shook the unconscious Eevee awake "We did it! We won! Temporal Tower is saved!"

"We did…?" Priscilla groaned and got up, rubbing the back of her head. She took in the view of the sky and the tower and gasped in joy "We did! We did it Silvin! We saved the world!"

Priscilla hugged me tightly while laughing and I couldn't help but laugh too. Finally, the decade long quest me and Grovyle began is finally done. Temporal Tower was saved and the dark future averted.

" _But that means I'll disappear from existence…"_ I thought as Priscilla continued laughing in sheer happiness over my shoulder " _It won't be long before I'm gone"_

"Come on, let's go home" Priscilla grinned and offered me her paw "Everyone must be worried sick for us. We have to go tell them that the world is at peace now"

"How are we going to get past this crater though?" I pointed to the large sinkhole in the tower where Primal Dialga fell "I don't think I brought any rope"

Suddenly, a loud roar echoed from the bottom of Temporal Tower. In an instant, Dialga warped in front of us, using his time-changing powers to mend the pinnacle's floor.

"What the- Dialga?!" Priscilla cried in alarm "How are you still alive?!"

"HOLD! THERE IS NO CAUSE FOR ALARM" Dialga boomed reassuringly "I HAVE REGAINED MY SANITY"

"Thank goodness" Priscilla breathed a sigh of relief "Does that mean time will be restored to normal all over the world?"

"ONCE REPAIRS ARE DONE TO TEMPORAL TOWER, THEN YES" Dialga replied "NOW, OBSERVE IF YOU WILL"

Dialga's blue core on his body armor flashed a brilliant white light, showing us a verdant field of grass and trees swaying in the wind. Raindrops and dew fell from the tree leaves, feeding the ground that has been long deprived of water.

"This must be Treeshroud Forest…" Priscilla murmured in amazement "Dialga, how are you doing this?"

"I'M SHOWING YOU THE RENEWED LAND WITH MY TELEPATHY" Dialga explained "THANKS TO YOU, TREESHROUD FOREST'S TIME FLOW HAS BEEN RESTORED ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER AREAS AFFECTED BY PARALYSIS"

The vision changed, showing an overhead view of Treasure Town. The residents bumbled around as usual, occasionally staring at the sky or out to sea like they were expecting something. Suddenly, a messenger Pelipper flew into Treasure Town and explained something I didn't hear. When he was done, everyone in town exploded into cheer.

"That's… that's Treasure Town…" Priscilla sucked in a breath "Pelipper must of heard the news and told everyone! Everyone looks so happy now…!"

The vision changed once again to our camp on Lush Prairie. Our friends were going around the camp, doing business as usual until another Pelipper messenger descended down and delivered the news of our success. Similarly, all of our friends burst into cheer and celebration after Pelipper finished.

"Everyone… they look so happy and proud for us…" Priscilla sniffed "I can't wait to go home and see them…"

Finally, the vision changed one last time, showing the ruined Hidden Land along with Temporal Tower. Large chunks of the Hidden Land's earth was falling into the dark void below, but it can be fixed. Similarly, Temporal Tower has been badly damaged, it's base barely able to support the spire and pinnacle anymore. Still, it can be fixed and time can be brought back to normal.

"THANKS TO YOUR EFFORTS, TIME HAS BEEN RESTORED TO NORMAL IN ALL AFFECTED AREAS" Dialga's vision shut off and we returned to reality "THE WORLD'S PEACE IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING"

"I've been wanting to hear those words for the longest time" I smiled contently, gazing into the peaceful morning sun "Now, I can finally believe it"

"ALLOW ME TO THANK YOU" Dialga continued "THANK YOU FOR TRAVELING TO HIDDEN LAND. YOU HAD THE COURAGE TO STAND UP TO ME, EVEN WHEN I RAGED OUT OF CONTROL. YOU PREVENTED TEMPORAL TOWER'S COLLAPSE IN THE NICK OF TIME. I OWE ALL OF THIS TO YOU"

"You don't owe us anything" Priscilla replied reassuringly "All we ask for is the world to be peaceful and tranquil again. I would like nothing more"

"VERY WELL. I MUST SEE TO THE REPAIRS OF TEMPORAL TOWER" Dialga gazed down his ruined domain "THE HIDDEN LAND HAS BEEN RAVAGED, BUT THE RAINBOW STONESHIP SHOULD STILL BE OPERABLE. LAPRAS SHOULD BE AWAITING YOUR RETURN TOO"

"Thank you Dialga" Priscilla bowed respectfully and turned to me "Let's go home Silvin. Finally, this journey is over"

While we were walking down the floating rock path that took us to Temporal Tower, I felt my body grow heavier and heavier every second.

" _This is it"_ I thought " _My time here is almost up…"_

"Huh? What's the matter Silvin?" Priscilla tugged my arm playfully "Let's hurry along"

As we walked down the path, every part of my body began feeling like it was carrying a steel block. My arms were heavy and my legs struggled to put one foot over another. I wondered if it was fatigue, but I knew it was because we changed the future. I didn't belong here anymore. My disappearance was drawing near.

"Phew, looks like the tremor stopped" Priscilla remarked, breaking me out of my thoughts. I was so distraught that I didn't even notice the minor earthquake. "I guess things are still getting back to normal here"

We continued walked down until I noticed something fly out of my body like a wisp. The yellow wisp flew into the air and disappeared just as quickly. I brushed it off until more yellow wisps curled off my body, signifying that now was the time.

"This is it, huh…?" I took a deep breath and called out "Priscilla, stop"

The Eevee turned back to me with a look of concern "What's wrong Silvin? What's with all the yellow wisps going off you?"

"Priscilla, I haven't been honest to you" I began, staring at the rocky ground beside me "All I promises I made and all the things me and you said we'll do together… it was all a lie"

"All a lie…? What… what are you saying…?!" Priscilla demanded nervously.

"Grovyle and Dusknoir told me" My voice was hollow and heavy, tight with grief "They told me that if time is restored to normal and the dark future is averted, Pokemon of the future will disappear because we don't belong here"

"No…" Priscilla's eyes went wide "No… so Pokemon of the future meaning… Grovyle, Dusknoir and…"

"Yes… me…" I watched the light pulsing off my body grow stronger and brighter every second "I am a Pokemon from the future. I don't belong in this world. I had to disappear so the world would be saved. I'm sorry for keeping you away from this Priscilla. Please forgive me"

"You… disappearing…" Priscilla repeated, tears clouding her eyes "NO! I will not accept that Silvin! What about everything we said we would do?! All your friends back in the team?! Will you break every damn promise because you have to disappear?! ANSWER ME SILVIN!"

"I'm sorry Priscilla, but that's how it has to be" I replied calmly, watching the yellow wisps fly into the sky "There's no changing destiny. But know this…"

I leaned closer to Priscilla, no matter how hard it was "I'm thankful that I met you. You've been the light of my life as a Pokemon and made everyday worth waking up to. You made my life as a Pokemon an unimaginable experience and I loved it every step of the way. I'll never forget you, no matter what life I end up in next"

"Silvin…" Priscilla sniffled, struggling to contain her tears "But don't you understand…? I only became strong because of you Silvin. Without you, I would of never had the courage to become an explorer. You make me brave and courageous Silvin…"

"No, I'm not giving you these traits" I replied, brushing a tear away from the Eevee's eye "I helped you develop courage and bravery. Now you're strong enough to be on your own. Go home and tell everyone what happened here. So… nothing like this can happen again"

"Silvin…" Priscilla watched in horror as the light around me grew stronger, bigger wisps of light flying into the air.

"Looks like my time…" I fell to one knee, struggling to stand "Is running out…"

"Don't Silvin! Don't leave me!" Priscilla tried to wrap me in a hug, but she phased through me like a mirage and landed hard on the ground, getting up with tears in her eyes "You can't go! Please don't leave me!"

"Thank you for everything Priscilla" I looked at the crying Eevee in the eye with a smile of gratitude "I'm glad we got to train at the guild together. I'm glad we went on so many amazing adventures together. I'm glad we met everyone in Team Skylar. Most of all, I'm glad to have met you Priscilla. Please…"

I groaned as my breath became short too "Don't… despair over me. Live on, carry the legacy of Team Skylar in my place. Our friends will help you cope but… don't mourn me for too long. Get up and continue living your life without me"

"But Silvin… I…" Priscilla's tears splashed against the rocky ground "How… how can I live without you?! You're everything to me! You… you were the other half of me I never had…!"

"I can say the same about you Priscilla" I smiled for one last time before my body began dissolving into particles of light "I'm lucky to have met a girl like you. I pray that you'll meet someone… better than I am…"

"Silvin, don't you understand-"

"I'm sorry Priscilla…" My voice sounded far away "I… love you… farewell…"

"Silvin… I…" Priscilla watched helplessly as my body completely dissolved into particles of light, scattering into the empty skies above.

"Silvin…? Silvin?!" Priscilla looked around hopelessly for any trace of me before collapsing on the ground in a sob "Silvin!"

A few minutes later, Priscilla picked herself up off the ground. She's been sobbing and crying out Silvin's name for a while now, but she knew that it was useless. Heart heavy with grief and despair, the Eevee continued the slow trek down to the Rainbow Stoneship.

"I have to live…" Priscilla repeated my last words "I have to make it home alive and tell everyone… that Silvin and Grovyle were true heroes, never to be forgotten…"

"Get home and tell everyone what happened…" Priscilla murmured to herself "Because it's… Silvin's… last… wish…"

Priscilla sniffled before wiping the tears out of her eyes "Snap out of it Priscilla. You're not getting back home if you continue crying like this"

Slowly, Priscilla made her way to the Rainbow Stoneship, tripping a little along the way. As Temporal Tower grew further and further away from her view, Priscilla put her face in her paws and cried again.

"Silvin… w-why... why did you have to…" Priscilla mumbled, freely letting her tears flow into the void below "Why do all the… great and wonderful Pokemon die early…? Why do heroes like Silvin and Grovyle have to die…?!"

Shortly after, the stoneship descended down into the Old Ruins, fitting itself exactly where it started from. Priscilla retrieved her Relic Fragment and began the journey back to Lapras. Hidden Land should of been impossible for one person like Priscilla, but the Eevee was too tired and grief-filled to accept that fact. She tore through every enemy Pokemon in her way with cold, silent fury. Priscilla was upset, angry and mournful all at once. She found Lapras residing at the entrance of Hidden Land and ordered him to fly back to the real world. The transport Pokemon immediately understood Priscilla's somber attitude when Silvin didn't come along.

Priscilla returned to Treasure Town, where she was welcomed as a hero by everyone in town, the guild and Team Skylar. However, the Eevee stopped all the praise directed at her and told everyone how heroic Silvin and Grovyle was, purposefully excluding herself from the story to make Silvin and Grovyle more memorable. She told the story everywhere she went, to spread the story of hope and peace for the future.

A year passed and as Silvin expected, Priscilla fell into a state of depression over the Riolu. Every day, she woke up in her tent feeling lost and empty. She missed waking up to Silvin next to her. It got so bad that our teammates began getting annoyed and irritated.

"Come on Priscilla, it's been a year now!" Henry protested "You've done nothing ever since returning from Temporal Tower! I think you've mourned Silvin enough…"

"That's enough Henry!" Zelot scolded "You don't know how important Silvin was to Priscilla. This reaction from her is perfectly normal"

"Zelot, it's been a year. A YEAR!" Henry squawked "I don't think I've mourned my grandfather for a week!"

"This is different!" Zelot snapped "Silvin was Priscilla's best friend and lover. Imagine the most precious thing to you being ripped away from your arms and never seeing it again. This is what Silvin is to Priscilla"

"Yeah, but get over it!" Henry cried "I know Silvin. He would of told Priscilla in his dying moments to lead Team Skylar in his place and not to be depressed over his death. So pick yourself up Priscilla and lead our team!"

"Henry, just give her some time alone" Sara chided, leading Henry away from the Eevee "She needs some more time to get over this"

"You too, Sara?!" Henry flapped his wings in annoyance "Even you know that a year is too-"

"No, he's right" Priscilla got off the log and stared into the flames of the bonfire "Henry's right. Just… give me a moment. I'm going to walk on the beach to clear my head"

"Should I escort you there?" Zelot asked politely.

"No, I'm alright" Priscilla answered "I can take care of myself"

"Stay safe then" Sara nodded and watched as the Eevee walked to the camp's gate listlessly, disappearing into the dark night.

"I'm really worried about Priscilla. I already had to stop two suicide attempts from her" Sara told Zelot after Henry flew off to rest "I'm afraid that she'll try again when we're not looking"

"Are you saying she'll try to drown herself while at the beach?" Zelot's voice was etched with worry as he stared at the camp gate "Or throw herself off Sharpedo Bluff?"

"I could tell she's getting better. You don't need to worry" Ezra came out from the shadows in the trees, startling both Zelot and Sara "She's still suffering from a large amount of stress, but not too much to the point of considering suicide"

"That's reassuring. Zach is getting tired of being woken up for his shift at watching Priscilla's tent" Sara stared at the dying flames of the bonfire "Actually, EVERYONE's getting tired of watching Priscilla. They don't say it out loud, but I noticed groans of irritation whenever they are woken up for their shift"

"The only person who isn't bothered is Aria" Zelot remarked "She seems happy to stay by Priscilla's side for the whole day. I watched her read books to Priscilla, tell her about how her day was going and even some funny stories about us. She's very… cheerful and inspiring to say the least"

"Yeah… I watched her bring food to Priscilla's tent too" Sara recalled "She works so hard for Priscilla's sake that she collapsed from exhaustion today. Zach had to drag Priscilla out of her tent for her meals"

"Speaking of Aria, she'll be okay with a night of rest" Ezra interrupted "She's simply suffering from heavy fatigue. A full night and morning of rest should bring her back to normal"

"Thank you for the medical report. You can go rest now" Sara gazed at the midnight moon slowly surfing the sky "It's pretty late"

"Oh? Why aren't you two asleep yet?" Ezra raised an eyebrow "You aren't exactly nocturnal creatures like me"

Zelot sighed "Priscilla said she hasn't been feeling hungry since lunch, so we watched her to make sure she was eating right"

"Now that she's gone, it would be a good time for you two to go sleep" Ezra shooed the two Pokemon off "Go on, sleep is essential for your health. I'll watch the gate for Priscilla"

"What about you? Don't you need sleep?" Zelot asked.

"I'm a Dark type. I feel more… relaxed in the nighttime" Ezra stretched out her body on the ground "I like it out here. I can stay awake for a few hours"

"Priscilla won't be walking on the beach for a few hours" Sara told Zelot "So let's leave Ezra on watch"

"Sure. See you tomorrow Ezra" Zelot and Sara departed to their tent, leaving Ezra alone with the dying flames.

…

Priscilla made her way to the beach. At this hour, all the shops in Treasure Town were closed. Even the nighttime market doesn't last this long. The dark, calm waves lapped against the cold sand as usual. The full moon was overhead, causing tidal waves to crash against the tall rocks of Beach Cave.

"The Krabby aren't out blowing bubbles at this hour… probably because it's too late" Priscilla gazed at the bright moon descending down the horizon, casting a rippling mirage across the dark blue water. Personally, she liked the beach at sunset better, but this was just as beautiful. She wished she saw it earlier, when Silvin was still alive.

"Oh… today's the anniversary of Silvin's… death…" Priscilla realized. It's been exactly one year since Priscilla and Silvin restored time at Temporal Tower. The Eevee glanced to the cluster of rocks poking out of the sand nearby. Right there was where she found Silvin unconscious.

"I remember… coming here at sunset… the Krabby blowing bubbles…" Priscilla stared at the waves splashing against her feet listlessly "And finding Silvin… unconscious here. That's… that's when our journey began"

Suddenly, everything broke apart and memories of her and Silvin's adventure flowed through her head like a rushing river. She remembered everything. Coming up with the name of the exploration team, laughing together at the dinner table, running full speed into the waterfall at Waterfall Cave, facing down the illusion Groudon, watching the geyser of water atop Fogbound Lake with everyone, enduring the Sableye's Fury Swipes in the stockade, kissing him in the future, everything.

"W-why…?" Priscilla laid on the cold sand and covered her eyes with her paws to mask the tears "I remember everything. Jumping into the quicksand pits at Northern Desert, discovering Crystal Crossing, vowing to return to our world in the future. All of that was with Silvin…!"

Priscilla pounded the ground over and over again, her year long anger finally releasing "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO TAKE HIM AWAY?! WHY DID A GREAT PERSON LIKE HIM HAVE TO DISAPPEAR?! WHY?! WHY, WHY, WHY?! TELL ME WHY!"

"I… I loved him" Priscilla mumbled, then yelled towards the moon again, pounding the sand even harder "WHY DID YOU TAKE HIM AWAY?! GIVE HIM BACK! I WANT HIM BACK!"

Priscilla's head collapsed into the sand, crying profusely. She didn't care if she got sand in her eyes. She didn't care about her hand bleeding from pounding the ground. All she wanted was Silvin to come back. But she could do nothing but cry, drenching herself in tears and blood.

"Please… just give him back… I'll do anything…" Priscilla whimpered, tears streaming down her face like a river. She wasn't even holding back anymore. All the pent up rage, sorrow and despair all came out at once, bottled up for a year. But even then, Priscilla could do nothing. She buried her head in the sand and sobbed Silvin's name.

…

Dialga watched the time stream from the Temporal Pinnacle. Over the course of a year, Temporal Tower has repaired nicely. The time stream should return to normal in a few days. The temporal Pokemon summoned a vision that gave him an overhead view of the entire world. He intended to do this to check if everything returned to normal, but when he looked over Treasure Town, an overwhelming wave of sorrow blasted Dialga's mind.

" _By lord Arceus! What is this emotional wave coming from?"_ Dialga focused the vision on the beach, where he saw Priscilla crying in the dunes. The temporal Pokemon understood what happened immediately.

" _That amount of sorrow from a single person is unreal. I feel more suffering from her than from an entire country!"_ Dialga closed his eyes, deep in thought " _I know its against Arceus's rules to bend the laws of life and death with my power but… I owe them a favor. Without them, the planet would of been paralyzed and time stopped. She doesn't deserve to suffer because she succeeded"_

Looking into the time stream, Dialga focused and located one of many timelines, a time when Silvin and Priscilla failed against Primal Dialga and died in the process. Silvin's soul lingered within that dark future, unable to rest in peace.

" _You are a strong and resolute soul, not ready to leave this world yet_ " Dialga looked at the ghostly Riolu amusingly " _I will defy the rules of Arceus because I know that your business isn't done with this world"_

Dialga leaped into that timeline and teleported the ghostly Riolu back to the current world. However, the ghost was emotionless and as still as a stone. It was a soul with no body to inhabit. A tower without stairs or floors. Using telepathy, Dialga contacted Giratina, the goddess of death.

"You know such a task is impossible Dialga" Giratina spoke in Dialga's mind "Arceus's rules clearly state that the laws of life and death are not to be messed with. Resurrecting this young boy will only bring trouble to me and you"

Dialga reminded Giratina that it was thanks to Silvin and Priscilla that time still flows within the world.

"And if time were to stop completely, Pokemon wouldn't be able to die either" Dialga continued "They'll be stuck in place like everything else around them. The life and death laws would be broken either way"

"Hmm…" Giratina thought for a moment "Are you absolutely sure that this man has unfinished business in this world?"

"He knows and I know" Dialga replied "And I feel that Lord Arceus knows too"

"Very well. I'll go along with it" Giratina sighed "But if I get in trouble for this, I'm blaming it all on you"

"Believe me, it won't come to that" Dialga reassured "While you're working on restoring life to his soul, I'll call Palkia to construct a body for him"

Disconnecting his telepathic connection to Giratina, Dialga contacted his counterpart twin, the creator of parallel dimensions, Palkia.

"An exact replica of this Riolu soul?" Palkia's voice held suspicion "What are you up to, brother?"

"Let's just say that I owe this Riolu a favor" Dialga explained "Anyway, I want you to construct an exact replica of this Riolu soul and transport it to the beach at Treasure Town. Giratina will restore life to the soul and infuse it into the body"

"... Has Giratina already warned you about breaking the life and death laws by doing this?" Palkia asked.

"Yes and I'll accept the consequences if Lord Arceus gets angry at this" Dialga promised "However, both the Riolu soul and I know he has unfinished business in the world. He and his partner deserve happiness together after sacrificing so much to save the world"

"Very well. I'll hold you to your promise then" Palkia said "I'll be done in a minute"

Using their powers, the three legendaries resurrected the soul of Silvin from the dark abyss of the future, restored life into the Riolu and transported him back to the beach in a flash of golden light.

"THIS IS MY THANKS!" Dialga roared from atop Temporal Tower "PLEASE ACCEPT IT!"

…

After crying for a good ten minutes, Priscilla picked herself off of the ground. She looked like a mess, fur caked with sand, blood and tears. Her paw stung with pain, blood dripping from the torn skin. She stared at the waves lapping onto the sand, briefly wondering if drowning was a painless way to go. If she could see Silvin again, she would gladly do it.

"Priscilla…" a voice called from the empty air. The voice sounded far away, like it came across the ocean. But that was impossible. How could she hear her name from such a far distance?

"Priscilla…" the voice called again and the Eevee wondered if she was going crazy. The voice sounded so much like Silvin's.

"Am I going crazy…?" Priscilla whispered "Now I'm hearing Silvin call my name. But he's…"

The Eevee looked around the dark beach, but nobody was around "... He's gone. Disappeared. Dead"

Daring the sky to contradict her, Priscilla began to walk back to camp. She spent long enough here. Suddenly, a bright light descended down on the cluster of rocks poking out of the sand, like a miniature sun. The light flashed, forcing Priscilla to cover her eyes and when the glare faded, she gasped in shock.

"This has to be cruel trick. This cannot be real" Priscilla told herself, but she was already running towards the unconscious figure who emerged from the light. But he was here, in the flesh, with all the scars Priscilla recognized. Silvin has returned.

"Silvin…" Priscilla's expression turned to pure joy "Silvin! Silvin, wake up!"

"Priscilla…?" the Riolu groggily opened his eyes and smiled at the Eevee on top of him "You're a mess. Were you crying over me again?"

"What does it look like dummy?" Priscilla snuggled into my chest lovingly "But… you're back and that's all that matters. Let's go home. Everyone will be delighted to see you"

"You've lost weight" I noticed "And you voice is weaker than usual. How long were you depressed over me?"

"Umm… only a year…" Priscilla blushed, then kissed me on the cheek before I could reply "But that doesn't matter. I'll get washed up in the ocean and we'll head home, together"

"I wouldn't have it any other way" I smiled and joined Priscilla in the ocean, not caring how cold it was. All that mattered was that I was alive again, Priscilla was happy and I could remain in this world for my whole life. I could never be happier.

 **And that brings an end to the main story! Coming up next is the postgame story, starting with the guild graduation test. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!**


	34. Chapter 32: Graduation

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 32: Graduation

A month after I've returned from the depths of death, me and Priscilla gathered around with the other guild Pokemon for morning briefing.

"And while time is still stopped is some areas, the world is gradually healing as we speak" Chatot concluded, then turned to us "In other news, Silvin and Priscilla are going to take the graduation exam today!"

"Huh? Graduation?" Priscilla scratched her head, confused "We can graduate from the guild?"

"Yes you can!" Chatot chirped "If you graduate from the guild, you'll officially be discharged from the guild and be allowed to strike out on your own as explorers. You'll be rid of the harsh daily training program and also be allowed to keep all the money you earn from missions! Of course, all of this will come if you actually succeed in the exam…"

"Hey, hey! Chatot!" Corphish piped up "All of us have been with the guild longer than those two. Why do they get to take the graduation exam?"

"Silly Corphish. Silvin and Priscilla have proven themselves to be amazing explorers many times over!" Sunflora replied "They've discovered Fogbound Lake, escaped from the future and saved the world! I think they are more than capable for the exam!"

"I agree with Sunflora on all accounts" Chatot nodded, then turned to us "So that's how it'll go. We'll be conducting the exam later in the morning, so get ready for it!"

"Loudred took the graduation exam last year" Sunflora told us, then winced "While Silvin was umm…"

"Drop it Sunflora. Just drop it" I deadpanned "So did Loudred pass the exam?"

"What do you think? Of course not!" Corphish laughed "He promptly failed! Hey, hey!"

"You…" Loudred growled "G-get LOST!"

"So what do we have to do for the exam?" Priscilla asked, breaking up the fight between Loudred and Corphish "Do we have to explore some challenging dungeon? Find rare treasure? Fight the entire guild at once?"

"No, no. Your task for the examination is to explore a wood called Mystifying Forest" Wigglytuff explained "Deep in there lies the Luminous Spring, where Pokemon used to go to evolve"

"Used to?" Priscilla tilted her head in confusion.

"The spring suddenly stopped working two years ago" Chatot explained "It might of been because of our… time issues back then. Now no sunlight shines on the spring"

"And thus, Pokemon cannot evolve" Wigglytuff finished and put up his hand for quiet "And if you're wondering, any evolved Pokemon you see must of used the spring before time began going out of control. That's the reason I'm a Wigglytuff after all"

"So you want us to go to Mystifying Forest and find Luminous Spring to see if it's working now?" Priscilla summed up "Sounds pretty easy"

"That's not the entire exam. You are to go to Mystifying Forest and bring back the treasure there" Chatot said "If you successfully bring the treasure back to the guild, you'll pass the exam and be formally discharged from the guild with full honors. Naturally, you can't bring non-guild members into the test"

"By the way, there is one thing you should be wary about" Wigglytuff warned "Inside the Mystifying Forest, you'll find a frighteningly strong enemy, also known as the "grand master of all things bad""

"The grand master of all things bad…?" I sighed "Compared to "god of time", that doesn't sound really scary"

"Believe me, he's a terrifying presence that nobody ever wants to meet. He's terribly wicked" Wigglytuff said gravely, then shrugged "So good luck with that!"

"You certainly change moods quickly Wigglytuff…" I remarked as Chatot wrapped up morning briefing on a mundane note "I wonder how the "grand master of all things bad" is like though. He'll be nothing compared to Primal Dialga, but best be sure"

"Why don't we ask Loudred?" Priscilla looked at the big voice Pokemon lumbering over to the sentry hole as usual "Hey Loudred!"

"Huh? What do you two want?" Loudred asked, turning to face us.

"You took the graduation exam last year, right? Can you tell us how the "grand master of all things bad" is like?" the Eevee pleaded.

"Sorry, but I CAN'T talk about it" Loudred grunted "It's a strict guild rule. I CANNOT speak anything about it. If I did…"

Loudred shivered, as if imagining some horrible punishment "That would be terrible for me. So no. I'm not saying anything. I'll tell you this though. If you meet him, you'll be in for a dreadful, terrifying time. I still have nightmares about it. Good luck"

Priscilla sighed "Fine, I'll go ask the others if they know anything"

"You'll get the same response no matter who you ask!" Loudred called as we climbed up the ladder to the first floor "Remember, it's a strict guild rule to never talk about it!"

Turns out, Loudred was right. We asked every single guild member about the "grand master of all things bad" and got the same response, ranging from "I don't know" to "I'm not allowed to speak about it".

"Let's head to Treasure Town and see if anybody knows about it" Priscilla suggested as we hiked down the guild's entry staircase "We need to resupply for the exam anyways"

On the way into town, we bumped into Teddiursa and Ursaring, who looked like they were heading out.

"Oh, sorry about that!" Priscilla apologized "Where are you two going?"

"We're heading to Mystifying Forest" Teddiursa replied "Me and Ursaring play there all the time"

"Mystifying Forest? Doesn't the grand master of all things bad live there?" I asked.

Teddiursa looked at me with a dumbfounded look "Grand master of all things bad? Are you sure you're not making a mistake?"

"Me and Teddiursa play there all the time and we've never heard of a "grand master"" Ursaring continued "You probably heard some false rumor"

"Anyway, we have to get going. See you two around!" Teddiursa said and the two bears left town.

"Teddiursa and Ursaring play in Mystifying Forest all the time, yet never heard of the grand master" Priscilla got a thoughtful look on her face "That confirms it. The guild made up the story to spook us"

"Hey Vigoroth! Do you know Mystifying Forest?" I asked Vigoroth as he passed by.

"That big forest northeast of us? The one with Luminous Spring? Yeah, I heard of it!" Vigoroth replied "What about it?"

"Did you hear about the "grand master of all things bad" living there?"

Vigoroth tilted his head in confusion "Nope, never heard of him. I've hung around Mystifying Forest for a while, but I never heard of any grand master"

"Okay, thanks for telling us Vigoroth" I nodded in gratitude "It was probably some stupid rumor then"

"See you guys later then!" Vigoroth waved and headed down to the beach.

"Guess we should head to Mystifying Forest and see for ourselves" Priscilla told me "Do we have everything we need?"

"Let's see…" I checked my treasure bag, which was filled with Oran Berries, Heal Seeds, Reviver Seeds, utility orbs, Iron Thorns, Apples, my Emit Ring and the Valiant Rock "I think I'm good"

"I'm good to go too" Priscilla nodded "Remember, we can't bring any of our friends along, so it's just us"

"It's been a while since we explored a dungeon alone" I remarked "The last one was Temporal Tower two years ago"

Priscilla winced "Don't remind me of Temporal Tower. Everytime I think about it, all the bad memories come back"

"Bad memories? Like what?" I asked.

"Memories of you disappearing and fading into light" Priscilla replied, gritting her teeth in tight concentration "And even now, I'm scared I'll wake up and find you gone. So I beg of you Silvin… please don't leave me again"

I was about to respond, but Priscilla cut me off.

"... Sorry. Just got a little overwhelmed there" the Eevee apologized "I'll try to suppress it. Just don't mention Temporal Tower with me"

"Consider your wish granted then" I hugged Priscilla briefly "And believe me, I wouldn't dare leave you alone a second time. I could see the effect I have on you after all"

The Eevee sighed "You could of worded it better, but I get the message. Let's go to Mystifying Forest, Silvin"

Departing Treasure Town and heading northeast brought us to Mystifying Forest, a jungle-like forest with high trees thick with leaves. Humid air surrounded the entire forest and the grass was slightly yellow and dry. Only a few, strange plants flourished in the blistering heat.

"Mystifying Forest isn't even that far from Lush Prairie, yet the environment is so different" Priscilla remarked "Lush Prairie is a cool, verdant grassland with healthy trees and fields"

"And here, it's a jungle-like environment with humid air and wild growing trees" I continued, staring ahead into the dense forest "Nevertheless, the treasure we need is in there, along with the "grand master of all things bad". Let's give this our all Priscilla"

"As always. This is our final task as apprentices" Priscilla nodded "We succeed and we can live with our friends full time. As well as keep all the money we get from missions"

"You're the most excited for that, aren't you?" I smiled "You were always pissed off that we got 10% of the cash from missions"

"If we got all the money from missions, we'll be swimming in cash right now" Priscilla sighed "Anyways, let's go in. The treasure isn't going to wait forever"

"I wonder what the treasure is" I wondered aloud as we entered the humid forest "What can you hide in a spring?"

"Jewels? Gold? Maybe a rare item?" Priscilla offered "Or maybe the treasure is the ability to evolve. Hopefully Luminous Spring is back in business since time is back to normal"

"Me and Niko talked about evolution before actually" I recalled "Niko said that every Pokemon has different evolution requirements. He, Zach, Aria and Henry an evolve simply by getting stronger"

"What about us?" the Eevee asked curiously "Does Niko know how we can evolve?"

"Niko said I needed an item called the Sun Ribbon to evolve" I explained "We have two of them in storage, so I'm good enough to evolve"

"And me?"

"Depends what kind of Eevee you want to evolve into" I replied, holding up my hand to count my fingers "There's Flareon, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Espeon, Umbreon, Glaceon and Leafeon"

"Oh I remember now. My mother was a Vaporeon while my father was a Jolteon" Priscilla recalled "What evolution do you think fits me the most?"

"Something elegant and beautiful like Vaporeon, Leafeon, Espeon or Glaceon" I said and Priscilla blushed "Given your personality though, I think Espeon fits you the best"

"Espeon's the Psychic type Eevee evolution, right?" Priscilla asked, then curled her lip "I feel I'll be saying "Eevee evolution" a lot. We need a easier name for it"

"Eeveelution?" I offered with a smirk, but Priscilla nodded like she liked it.

"That's pretty good actually. I'll use it" the Eevee smiled "So what does an Eevee need to evolve into Espeon?"

"A Sun Ribbon, just like I do" I said "Huh, what a coincidence. We have exactly two Sun Ribbons, enough for both of us to evolve"

"Wow" Priscilla stared ahead, deep in thought "So I assume Eevees lose their physical strength when they evolve into Espeon, so I'll have to switch to physical attacks when I evolve"

"You weren't physically strong as an Eevee anyways" I remarked "So it wouldn't be a big difference. If anything, you're better as using special attacks due to your sharp mind"

"Well, you're awfully blunt Silvin" Priscilla smirked.

"It's one of my best qualities" I joked.

"But you're right. My lack of physical strength is why I rely on items and magic-based attacks like Vacuum Cut to win the day. Evolving into Espeon should amplify that magical power tenfold" the Eevee tilted her head in deep thought "I remember us picking up a Psychic and Shadow Ball TM last month, so I could use those when I evolve"

"It'll be a good idea to ask Zelot or Sara to teach you other Psychic moves too" I advised "I suspect Psychic to be a strong move, so it'll likely have low PP to compensate"

"It does. It's one of the strongest Psychic types attacks out there" Priscilla replied "And you're probably right about the PP part. I'll ask Zelot and Sara if they know more reliable moves, like Confusion or Psybeam"

"So let's see… you'll have Psybeam or Confusion, Psychic, Shadow Ball and Vacuum Cut?" I asked, counting Priscilla's potential moveset on my fingers.

"Sure, that works. Let's theorize your potential moveset" Priscilla gazed around us, wary of enemy Pokemon "Right now, you have Force Palm, Focus Punch, Bite and Dig?"

"Yep. Niko researched a bit into it and found out I evolve into Lucario, a Fighting Steel type Pokemon" I replied.

"Are there any special qualities Lucario has over Riolu?" the Eevee asked curiously.

"Niko told me Lucario's control over aura is much stronger than as a Riolu" I held out my palm and willed a small wisp of blue flame to come to life "I only recently learned how to use aura now"

"But what IS aura? I never heard of it" Priscilla watched the blue ball of flame dance on my fingertips.

"Aura is energy given off by all living beings. Think of it like the essence of life or something" I closed my hand and dispelled the aura flame "As a Lucario, I can tap into my aura and use it amplify my own attacks. I can also sense other Pokemon's auras to detect if they are of bad or good intentions"

"And who told you all of this?" Priscilla asked with a smirk.

"Niko along with Aria" I answered "Lately, the two of them have been researching evolution. Now that time has been restored, there are rumors that Luminous Spring is working again. Henry and Zach in particular are getting excited at the prospect of evolving"

"That doesn't explain how you know so much about Lucario though" the Eevee reminded me.

"Well, the two of them researched a lot into our evolved forms" I explained "I found it really interesting, so I listened to their discussions and learned a lot in turn. I found out that Luxray, Zach's fully evolved form, can see through any solid object!"

"Really now? That's interesting" Priscilla peered forward with a confused look "Wait, what floor are we on right now?"

"Uhh… floor twelve right now" I avoided a Scyther's Fury Cutter and retaliated with Bite "I guess we got so distracted that we forgot we were in a dungeon"

"This place is nothing compared to Temporal Tower" Priscilla Quick Attacked the Scyther to take it out "No wonder Teddiursa and Ursaring play here often. It's nothing but a forest filled with Grass type Pokemon!"

"Funny that the guild gives us THIS for our exam" I noted as a I pushed back a Flygon with Force Palm "I expected a challenge comparable to Hidden Land or something"

"Well, it's hard finding a dungeon as hard as that" Priscilla said, finishing off the Flygon with a swift Iron Thorn throw "The biggest challenge is probably the "grand master of all things bad""

"That is, if it actually EXISTS" I scoffed "The Treasure Town residents already confirmed he doesn't exist. If Teddiursa, Ursaring and Vigoroth never seen him, he's just a made up story"

"The thing that bothers me is why would guild would lie to us about it?" the Eevee wondered aloud "Did they do it to scare us? Intentionally force us to keep our guard up?"

"Or maybe the "grand master of all things bad" and his minions are actually Wigglytuff and the guild members" I offered "After all, why would they make up a fake story about Mystifying Forest?"

"I don't know and I intend to find out after we're done" Priscilla sighed, then stared ahead "Oh! I see a clearing!"

We arrived at a clearing in the humid forest, a small spring against a tall rock face ahead. Nearby were Teddiursa and Ursaring.

"Hey Teddiursa! Ursaring!" Priscilla called and the two bears turned with surprised looks.

"Oh, hello there Silvin and Priscilla!" Teddiursa greeted "Me and Ursaring were just playing here like usual"

"I see. Is Luminous Spring working again?" Priscilla asked.

"I don't think so. I tried going into the spring earlier, but nothing happened" Teddiursa replied sadly "No light is shining on it either, so it's probably not working"

"Dang, Zach and Henry aren't going to like that" Priscilla sighed, disappointed "Well, let's see about Mystifying Forest's treasure then. We need it for our guild exam"

"Oh really? Good thing we didn't open it then" Ursaring grinned "We saw a locked golden box nearby Luminous Spring earlier. We didn't open it because we were afraid it was booby-trapped or cursed"

"That's probably our treasure for the guild exam then" I nodded "But you said locked. Did you find a key around?"

"Nope" Teddiursa shook his head.

"Maybe they hid the key around the spring or something…" Priscilla murmured, then turned to me "Let's search around for the chest key"

"I could always break open the chest with my fists though" I held up my hand, which glowed with blue fire briefly "If we can't find the key, we can always just break it open"

"True. Let's not waste time then" Priscilla nodded, then looked around suspiciously "It might be just me, but this feels too easy. Mystifying Forest was a cakewalk for us and we can just waltz into Luminous Spring and grab the treasure? Just like that?"

"Hmm… I feel it too" I frowned "The air feels thick with tension…"

"I don't know what you two are talking about, but we'll be at the spring playing if you need us" Teddiursa interrupted "See you two later!"

"Oh well, maybe it was just the wind" Priscilla shrugged "Let's get the treasure Silvin"

As we walked ahead, both of us stepped onto a tarp disguised as the grass.

"What the- Aaaahhhh!" Priscilla cried as we tumbled down the hole and landed hard onto a rocky floor.

"Ugh… what the hell was that?" I looked around the room we landed in for any escape, but there was nothing but brown rocky walls and soil. Sunlight beamed above us from the pitfall. To my horror, something began covering the hole and the entire room became dark instantly.

"Quickly! Light a torch Priscilla!" I ordered "We don't know if enemies are lurking around here"

"How can anybody hide in here?" Priscilla asked as she blindly dug through her treasure bag "It's nothing but a flat room surrounded by rocks!"

"Just light the torch! We can't find an escape if we can't see!"

"I know! I know! But god is it hard to find ANYTHING in the dark…" the Eevee growled in frustration.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps in the dark. More than one pair of footsteps.

"Mwa ha ha!" Someone dramatically laughed, which would of scared me if it didn't sound so childish "Welcome to the world of darkness!"

"Who are you and why did you trap us?!" I demanded.

"I am the grand master of all things bad" the voice introduced "And as for why we trapped you…"

"Wait, YOU'RE the grand master of all things bad?" Priscilla sounded skeptical "You sound awfully childish for someone of your reputation"

"How rude! You've earned yourself an extra beating, kid!" The voice growled "Besides, it's not only me. I have my legion of minions as well!"

"You can't see us in the dark, but you're completely surrounded!" A voice that sounded strangely like Chatot said.

"... But you can't see us either" I replied.

"Eeek! He's right!" Sunflora cried in worry "Chatot, how can we fight them if we can't see them? We'll just end up hitting each other!"

"Shh! Don't blow our cover!" Chatot hissed, then cleared his throat "Mwa ha ha! Coming to our lair is the last mistake you'll ever make!"

"You won't be walking out of here alive!" The "grand master" bellowed "Prepare to-"

Suddenly, sunlight flared into the room as the cover above us was lifted, exposing the "grand master" and his "minions"

"Uh…" Wigglytuff stared at the hole in the ceiling with a confused look "Why was the cover taken off?"

"I knew it! I knew the "grand master of all things bad" and his minions were just Wigglytuff and the guild!" I laughed triumphantly.

"Uhh… what's this "guild"?" Sunflora stammered "I don't know any Wigglytuff either!"

"Hey Bidoof!" Chatot shouted "Why did you take the cover off?!"

"Uhh… what?!" I heard Bidoof's voice above the hole "B-but I thought it was too dark for you all down there, so I opened it up. I wasn't supposed to do that?"

"Of course you weren't supposed to do that! You exposed us all!" Chatot cried, then sighed in disappointment "Ugh, what a farce…"

"So can we get some answers here?" Priscilla asked "Why did you make up the story about the "grand master of all things bad"? Why are you claiming to be the grand master and his minions? And most of all…"

Priscilla gestured to the room around us "How did you manage to excavate this clean of a room?"

"Oh good, she mentioned it" Dugtrio grinned proudly "Finally, someone appreciates me and Diglett's hard work!"

"Can you answer all those questions Wigglytuff? Besides the last one" I asked.

Everyone stared at Wigglytuff, waiting for his answer.

"Who's… Wigglytuff…?" Wigglytuff's voice morphed into falsetto, even if it still sounded childish "I am the grand master of all things bad. I know nothing of your so-called Wigglytuff"

I sighed "Playing this game to the end, aren't you…?"

"Uh… that's right!" Chatot puffed up his chest in false pride "And we're the grand master's loyal minions!"

"Oh my gosh! That is so right!" Sunflora hopped "I don't know any Pokemon named Sunflora!"

"You are a Sunflora, Sunflora!" I groaned, slapping my forehead.

"Hey, hey! I know nobody named Corphish!" Corphish snapped his claws in an attempt to be menacing.

"What in the world is going on here?!" Priscilla cried.

"Coming to our lair is the last mistake you'll ever make" Wigglytuff ignored her and grinned deviously "You aren't leaving here alive. Prepare to face the terror that is the grand master of all things bad! YOOM-TAH!"

"Priscilla! Prioritize Dugtrio and Diglett!" I called as the guild's Pokemon began to close in and attack "They can strike us from under the ground and catch us off guard!"

"You handle them! I'll distract everyone else!" Priscilla's brown fur bristled and dozens upon dozens of air blades materialized into the air, peppering everyone with razor sharp Vacuum Waves. I stood behind the Eevee's back, waiting for Dugtrio or Diglett to pop up from under the ground.

"Take this, fiend!" Corphish slashed his claws over me with Night Slash, but I parried the attack easily and struck back with Force Palm, paralyzing the crab in his tracks. Sunflora followed up from behind with Petal Dance, trapping me in a tornado of rose petals.

"Taste my psychic power you uhh…" Chimecho paused "... bumbling idiot!"

The bell chime quivered and glowed, attempting to overwhelm my mind with Psywave. Sunflora's Petal Dance sliced away at my skin, preventing me from retaliating at Chimecho with Bite. All I could do it resist and hold my defense together. Eventually, the petal storm ended and Sunflora stumbled away in a daze, dizzy from Petal Dancing.

"A shame you wasted so much effort" I ate a Oran Berry and healed my wounds as Priscilla's Vacuum Cut slashed Sunflora and Chimecho from behind, giving me time to take down the wind chime with Bite and Sunflora with Focus Punch.

"The earth's fury is all mine!" Dugtrio cried dramatically and bristled, calling eruptions from the ground with Earth Power. I dodged one, but Priscilla flew back and landed hard from the attack. Around her, the Vacuum Cut was slowly wearing off, giving Wigglytuff, Chatot, Croagunk and Loudred free reign.

"I won't allow it!" I dug a Slumber Orb from my bag, but Diglett sprang from the ground and knocked it out of my hand, the crystal orb rolling away from me. I did some quick thinking and threw an Iron Thorn at the rolling orb, setting it off prematurely. The sleeping gas filled the entire chamber, putting everyone to sleep except me and Priscilla.

"Over here!" Diglett popped behind me and tripped me up with Headbutt. I landed on my feet and tried to counter, but Diglett used hit and run strategies, attacking and then retreating into the ground.

"Silvin, you said you could detect other Pokemon's auras now, right?" Priscilla jumped to my side and deflected a Slash from Dugtrio "Use it to detect Diglett and Dugtrio and attack when they pop up!"

"Good idea. I need you to cover me while I concentrate" I said and the Eevee nodded. I closed my eyes and cleared my mind. The snores of everyone didn't help a lot.

"Diglett is coming… to my right!" My eyes snapped open as Diglett appeared beside me, preparing to use Mud Bomb. I quickly batted it away with the back of my hand before smacking Diglett with Force Palm, defeating the mole Pokemon.

"Dugtrio is… coming behind you Priscilla!" I called and the Eevee prepared a Stun Seed as Dugtrio popped behind her, coming in with Sucker Punch. Priscilla lopped the Stun Seed right into Dugtrio's face, stunning him in place.

"The sleep's starting to wear off. We should deal with the others while we can" Priscilla advised "The stun on Dugtrio will hold for a while"

"Let's wrap this up then" I cracked my knuckles and took out Loudred and Croagunk without a fight, using Focus Punch and Dig respectively. Chatot woke up earlier than expected however and shrieked with Uproar, waking up Wigglytuff too.

"Squawk! I am the grand master's most trusted minion! Take this!" Chatot pecked me furiously with airborne Fury Attack, but the strikes were slow and delayed, easy to parry aside. However, the parrot surprised me by swiftly diving to my left and delivering a strong Peck, leaving a deep gash on my waist.

"Now you face the grand master!" Wigglytuff waddled towards me and attacked with a powerful series of Doubleslap. Each strike felt like deflecting a Rhyperior. It wouldn't be long before Wigglytuff and Chatot overwhelm me. Luckily, Priscilla came to the rescue again with her seeds. The Eevee snuck behind Wigglytuff and Chatot, throwing a Blast Seed first to distract them.

"Oh no you don't!" Chatot flew behind Wigglytuff to catch the seed, but upon contact, the Blast Seed exploded in Chatot's face, stunning him temporarily. Priscilla fired another seed, this one being an X-Eye Seed, at Wigglytuff, stopping his titanic assault. My arms felt sore and weak after blocking so many Doubleslaps, but I had to take out Chatot when I have the chance. I came behind the parrot and knocked him out with a strong Force Palm.

"Silvin! Behind you!" Priscilla called and I leaped away from Dugtrio's Earth Power, the triple mole popping out of the ground to follow up with Slash. I met the attack with Force Palm and Priscilla nailed Dugtrio's head with an Iron Thorn, defeating and hopefully not killing him. All that was left now was Wigglytuff, who shook off the X-Eye's blindness and curled into a ball to increase his defense.

"Avoid his Doubleslaps when you can! They hit like rampaging Tauros!" I called as Wigglytuff began to sing in an attempt to put us to sleep. It was a desperate attack though, since both of us could plug our ears to avoid Sing. Once he was done, I charged first, fist glowing with Force Palm's light.

"YOOM… TAH!" My Force Palm met with Wigglytuff's Doubleslap, but he took the attack like it was nothing and slammed my chest into the air. It hit so hard that I slammed against the ceiling and collapsed on the ground, feeling weak and broken.

"His strength is inhuman…" Priscilla remarked, feeding me a Reviver Seed "Our best strategy is to subdue him with seeds and nail him with Focus Punch plus Violent Seed"

"I don't want to accidentally kill Wigglytuff though, so let's just settle for Focus Punch" I readied my arms in anticipation "You have the seeds ready?"

"Yes. You distract him first and avoid the Doubleslaps" Priscilla nodded and I charged again, letting Wigglytuff get the first attack. He slammed down with Doubleslap, pulverizing the ground beneath him, but I jumped back to dodge and countered with Force Palm, dwindling the guildmaster's stamina just a little.

"This guy can take a LOT of hits…!" I remarked, using my Force Palm to block another Doubleslap "Priscilla! Now's a good time!"

The Eevee's Sleep Seed flew through the air towards Wigglytuff and he swerved to dodge it, but I caught it in midair and caught Wigglytuff by surprise, throwing it at point blank range. Instantly, the guildmaster was fast asleep.

"Sorry about this" I apologized and slammed Wigglytuff with two Focus Punches, finally taking down the behemoth of a Pokemon. Wigglytuff was as much of a challenge as Primal Dialga was. Almost.

"T-they got me…" Wigglytuff groaned, glancing to the wall beside him "Everyone run away! To the secret exit!"

With overly dramatic cries for help, everyone streamed out of the chamber through a disguised exit in the wall. Once everyone left, we came out with extremely confused looks.

"Well… that was weird to say the least" Priscilla remarked, glancing down the pitfall trap "I swear we just fought Wigglytuff and the guild"

"We DID, but knowing them, they'll deny it to no end" I shrugged "But anyways, we should be getting to Luminous Spring. We still need to get the treasure after all"

"Oh right, the treasure!" Priscilla nodded "Let's go then Silvin!"

Moments later, we found Teddiursa and Ursaring hanging out near the spring, climbing trees and looking for food.

"Hey Teddiursa! Ursaring!" Priscilla called.

"Oh, it's you two! What happened?" Ursaring asked, curious "It's been ten minutes and you didn't come get the chest yet"

"We umm… ran into some trouble. Some rogue Pokemon were around" Priscilla lied "But anyways, I'm tired. Silvin, could do you break open the chest for us?"

"No problem" I rubbed my fist and slugged it downward on the golden chest, cracking the top clean off. Inside the chest was a Perfect Apple, which added more evidence that the entire exam was a set up by Wigglytuff and the guild.

"Well, what do you know? The treasure of Luminous Spring was a Perfect Apple" Priscilla said, examining the solid red apple "A fitting treasure from Wigglytuff"

Beside us, Teddiursa gasped. The clouds above us broke apart and a shining light came down, bathing the spring in bright sunlight. Even when the clouds covered the sun again, the beam of light stayed, like it was a permanent part of the spring now.

"Light is shining down on Luminous Spring again!" Teddiursa grinned with joy "Does that mean the spring has regained its power?"

"Only one way to find out. Go try and evolve again Teddiursa!" Ursaring encouraged and the little bear waded into the spring's waters, putting himself under the sunlight.

"Those who seek awakening…" a low voice echoed through the clearing "The resumption of time has brought light back to the spring"

"Whoa! Who said that?" Priscilla glanced around for any newcomers, but there was only me, Teddiursa and Ursaring. The voice sounded like it came from the spring itself.

"Those who seek awakening… this is Luminous Spring" the voice said "Do you seek evolution?"

"Yes please!" Teddiursa called.

"Do you need an item to do so?" the voice asked.

"Nope! No item needed!" the bear shook his head.

"So be it. Seeker of awakening… let us begin" The sunlight around Teddiursa flashed brightly for an instant, then faded back to normal. In Teddiursa's place was a large brown bear with a yellow circle on his chest. In other words, he looked exactly like Ursaring.

"Yay, I finally evolved!" Teddiursa Ursaring cheered.

"Congratulations! All the training you did finally paid off!" Ursaring patted Teddiursa Ursaring's back "But now it's hard to tell us apart. But good job!"

"If we want to evolve, we need to get our Sun Ribbons from the storage" Priscilla reminded me "We should come back later to evolve"

"No. The Riolu and Eevee. Stop" The voice said, startling us both "Both of you cannot evolve, even with the items you need"

"What?! Why?" Priscilla demanded.

"Both of you are influenced by the distortion in the fabric of space…" The voice explained vaguely "As such, you cannot evolve. Both of your presences are related to the distortion of space"

"Uhm… any clues of how to get rid of this distortion?" I asked.

"I do not know the reason why, nor how to dispel it" The voice said "But you cannot evolve for the time being. This is Luminous Spring and if you seek new evolution, do return"

The sunlight beam shut off, leaving us in cool, shallow water.

"That's strange. We can't evolve because we're related to the distortion of the fabric of space?" Priscilla glanced at the setting sun in the sky "But now's not the time to think about it. We got the Perfect Apple at Luminous Spring. We should head back before it gets dark"

"Good idea. See you two around and congrats on your evolution Teddiursa!" I waved the two Ursaring goodbye and me and Priscilla returned back to the guild.

Priscilla handed Wigglytuff the Perfect Apple and he examined it briefly before setting it down on the ground beside him.

"Congratulations! You passed the guild exam!" Wigglytuff cheered and everyone threw confetti around us. Strangely, everyone was swathed in bandages, like they picked a fight they didn't win.

"... Oh? Not celebrating?" Wigglytuff stared at us with a quizzical look "Or are you two not happy?"

"I mean, I'm happy that we graduated but…" Priscilla frowned "It doesn't feel like we did anything special. Mystifying Forest was nothing compared to Hidden Land and Temporal Tower"

"That's not true! Don't you understand what you two did was incredible?" Wigglytuff protested "You went and brought back an amazing treasure in a Perfect Apple. Even better, you even defeated the grand master of all things bad!"

"That's the problem. How do you know we defeated the grand master of all things bad, Wigglytuff?" I asked and Wigglytuff frowned, realizing his mistake.

"... Um… we heard it somewhere?" Wigglytuff stammered.

"Besides, wasn't that grand master you, Wigglytuff?" Priscilla faced everyone around us "And weren't you guys the minions?"

"Uhh… I don't know?" Wigglytuff grinned playfully "I don't know who you're talking about. Grand master of all things bad?"

"M-me too!" Chatot fluttered "I know nothing! The grand master's minions? Who are they?"

"Hey, hey! I don't know anything either!" Corphish piped up.

"Eek! I don't know any minions!" Sunflora shook her head vigorously and everyone laughed, clearly eager to put the topic to rest.

Priscilla sighed "You know what? Just forget it. Like Silvin said, you're all going to deny it to no end…"

"Anyways, congratulations on graduating from the guild!" Chatot smiled "From now on, you'll be recognized as a real exploration team and not be bound by the guild's regulations. Furthermore, you get to keep all the money you get from missions and get to operate completely on your own!"

"You two passed the exam with flying colours!" Wigglytuff congratulated "I hope you keep up your good work as explorers!"

After a long round of "Congratulations!" and goodbyes, me and Priscilla finally departed from the guild and made our way to Lush Prairie to live with our friends. This time, permanently.

"Well, Henry and Zach are going to be excited for our news" Priscilla snuggled into my chest as we walked the dirt road towards the prairie "I'm still at odds about the distortion of space thing though"

"Me too. But thinking about it just makes my head hurt" I shrugged "Maybe it'll fade away on its own. For now, let's just not worry about it and enjoy being an official exploration team!"

Priscilla yawned, gazing at the moon gradually rising over the horizon behind us "Carry me back to camp?"

"Seriously? Again?" I complained, but I couldn't resist the pleading look Priscilla had on her face. She looked like a baby seal begging for help. I obliged and carried the Eevee back to camp in my arms. Starting tomorrow, we'll be a real exploration team.

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 52  
_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Dig  
_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 48  
_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **Here we are the postgame story. The graduation boss battle is well known to be one of the hardest in the game (thanks Dugtrio and Diglett Earth Power), so naturally, the fight had to be long and involve more than just brute force. Coming up next is a time skip to the Sky Peak arc, with the team being the newly evolved Henry, Zach and Aria. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!**


	35. Chapter 33: Mountain to Heaven

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 33: Mountain to Heaven

"I swear, someone needs to make an easier way to get to Luminous Spring" Zach groaned as me, Henry and Aria entered the spring "Walking through that Grass type hell with Normal and Electric type moves is NOT fun"

"Let's hope you get some better move variety after evolving" Aria smirked "If so, then at least you can do more than Bite a Torterra eight times"

"Don't remind me of that" the Shinx sighed "I had to use two Reviver Seeds before the Torterra went down. If Henry didn't swoop in with Wing Attack, that would of increased to four Revivers"

"And you don't even have that many in your bag" I commented as I watched the beam of sunlight reappear above the spring and shine over the water "Well, we're here at the spring. Who wants to go first?"

"I'll go! I've been waiting for this forever!" Henry flew ahead excitingly and dipped himself in the shallow water, under the beam of sunlight.

"This is Luminous Spring. Seeker of awakening, do you wish to evolve?" the mysterious voice echoed, startling everyone except me.

"Wah! Where did that voice come from?" Aria asked, looking at me for an answer.

"I don't know honestly. I think it came from the spring itself" I shrugged "Best not to think about it"

"Yes, I want to evolve!" Henry called "Oh boy, I'm shaking from excitement!"

"Do you need an item to do so?" the voice asked.

"Nope! No item needed!"

"Very well. Seeker of awakening and evolution… let us begin" the beam of light over Henry flared for a second, then faded. Where the small starling Pokemon stood was now a giant grey raptor with a red mohawk spike pointing downwards over his forehead. Henry, now a Staraptor, spread his gigantic wings and lifted himself out of the spring, laughing triumphantly.

"Alright! Now we're talking!" Henry soared and glided through the air with a steady, fast pace "Oh man, this feels great. All this power and strength coursing through my wings… it's making me jittery!"

"You can go first" Aria said politely and Zach nodded, sliding into the water and wading over to the beam of sunlight.

"Hey Silvin. You've been here before right?" Aria asked as she turned to me "Why didn't you or Priscilla evolve?"

"It's kinda strange. The voice of Luminous Spring said that both me and Priscilla are afflicted with the "distortion in the fabric of space"" I replied while I scratched the back of my head "And that distortion prevents me or her from evolving right now"

"A distortion in the fabric of space? That sounds… worrying" Aria stared into the sky distantly "It's like the world is being threatened again, just like when Temporal Tower was going to collapse"

"The fact that me and Priscilla are associated with this distortion worries me too" I admitted "Does our very presence endanger the world around us? Are we a threat to this land?"

"Silvin, there isn't any evidence that that's true" Aria replied in a soothing tone "For all we know, it could just be a side effect of the time problems we had two years ago. Hopefully it'll fade soon"

"That's what I'm hoping too, but I just know something bigger is on the horizon…" I glanced at the spring where Zach, who used to be a Shinx, was replaced by a large lion-like Pokemon, covered in dark blue fur that buzzed with electricity. Zach's eyes were piercing golden yellow, scanning the surroundings like he was testing his new x-ray vision.

"I can see you hiding behind the tree Henry. Come out" Zach came out of the spring and shook himself off to get the water out of his fur "I don't need x-ray vision to see your giant wings poking out from the branches"

"Well, I guess evolution has a few downsides" Henry landed beside Zach and sized up the Luxray "So I heard you now have x-ray vision as a Luxray. What can you see?"

Zach's eyes glowed yellow and he stared at the cluster of trees to his left "I can see a colony of Caterpie creating their shells to become Metapod. A Flygon to the right just snatched a Roselia up and ate it in one gulp"

"Whoa, you really do have x-ray vision!" Henry grinned, then stood in front of Zach's sight "Okay, what's behind me?"

"Trees, trees and more trees" Zach answered nonchalantly "Along with your bone structure"

"We're good to go now guys" I called as Aria slithered out of the spring, now a Dragonair "It seems like Aria isn't strong enough to become a Dragonite yet"

"All this hard work and training and all I become is a longer version of myself" Aria pouted, then poked at the wings on her head with her tail "What are these, wings? Can I fly with these?"

On cue, the small wings on Aria's head flapped and lifted the Dragonair off the ground for a second, then dropped, perhaps too tired to continue "Okay, I CAN fly with these. Only for a second and a few centimeters off the ground"

"I heard Dragonairs are capable of manipulating the weather too" Zach said "Can you do that?"

"Let's see…" Aria closed her eyes in concentration and the small blue orbs on her neck and tail glowed in azure light. Suddenly, grey clouds gathered above us and sheets of rain came down, pelting the humid forest in water.

"You could of at least summoned sunshine or something" I shivered in the cold rain "Now we have to walk back to camp soaking wet"

"It's better for me at least" Zach stared at the dark grey clouds and roared, calling down a giant thunderbolt to strike the ground beside him "Now I can call down Thunders at will without the move"

"Good for you" I held my arms close as my teeth chattered "Let's go home before I catch a cold"

Two hours later, we arrived at our camp in Lush Prairie, soaking wet.

"What happened to you four? It looks like someone doused you with three Hydro Pumps" Priscilla said while Zelot left to fetch towels.

"Aria just discovered her new power of manipulating weather" I explained, basking in the warm sunlight that bathed the camp "She called down a thunderstorm in Mystifying Forest"

"Hmm… that'll be useful for growing apples and berries…" Priscilla tilted her head in thought "Aria could summon rain whenever the plants need water and then summon the sunlight for them to photosynthesize. Pretty convenient if you ask me"

"Yeah… you can handle that" I said, eager to steer away from the conversation "Anyway, did anything new pop up in Treasure Town today?"

"There was some sort of announcement at Spinda's Cafe" The Eevee replied, stoking the bonfire flames with a stick "I went down and Spinda announced that Project P has made a huge discovery"

"Project P?" I briefly remembered hearing Spinda announce the opening of the project two years ago "Oh right, that recycling thing at the cafe. So what was the big discovery?"

"The scouting team found a remote village at the base of the mythical Sky Peak" Priscilla explained "Sky Peak is a mountain to the east that's so tall, many say it pierces the sky. However, the mountain path and range have been destroyed a long time ago, so it was never explored"

"Let me guess. The path is now restored thanks to Project P's efforts and Spinda announced that Sky Peak can now be explored?" I guessed and the Eevee nodded.

"Pretty much. The Shaymin living in the remote village used to guide our ancestors to the summit of Sky Peak" Priscilla said "Now that the path and mountain range's been cleared, the Shaymin are happy to guide the new explorers from Spinda's Cafe up the mountain"

"Ooh, that sounds fun. Want to go? Just me and you?" I asked and the Eevee shook her head in disappointment.

"Sorry Silvin. We have a challenge letter to take care of" Priscilla grabbed a sealed envelope lying on a log and handed it to me "The letter specifically requests me and you alone to go to Landslide Cave and fight the challenger. Apparently, they are skeptical about us saving the world, so they want to see our strength for themselves"

""Silvin and Priscilla of Team Skylar! You think you're such hotshots for saving the world? I personally challenge you to a duel in Landslide Cave floor 5! Don't be late and only bring you two. Signed, Gabite"" I read the letter out loud and slid it back into the envelope "Well, I guess it'll be bad for our reputation to refuse a job offer"

"On the back, Gabite even said he'll pay us if we win the fight. He's taking this duel pretty seriously" Priscilla noted "So we're not leaving the Sky Peak exploration for nothing"

"Still disappointed that we have to postpone Sky Peak for this, but…" I frowned "We've never explored Landslide Cave before, right?"

"No we didn't. Zach just found the map on the bottom of his Yellow Gummi smoothie in the cafe" Priscilla said that as if it was a totally normal sentence. Spinda puts maps of new mystery dungeons on the bottom of his glasses?

"We could send a team of three in our place to Sky Peak" I suggested "It'll be a good experience for them to explore a dungeon we didn't explore yet"

"And I'm sure Henry, Zach and Aria are itching for action after evolving" Priscilla glanced at the Staraptor and Luxray sparring at the training yard "But why are we sending three?"

"Remember? Shaymin is acting as the guide to the summit" I reminded the Eevee "Therefore, it'll take the fourth slot on a team. Chatot always said that four was the maximum amount of ally Pokemon allowed in a mystery dungeon, otherwise it'll be too overcrowded"

"I see. So the team going to Sky Peak is Henry, Zach and Aria?" Priscilla frowned "Don't you think they're tired from venturing through Mystifying Forest?"

"Well, look at them. Ever since they evolved, they've been brimming with energy" I pointed to Zach tagging out and letting Aria take on Henry "I'm sure they're hungry for any kind of action"

"True. Let's tell them their mission and head off to Landslide Cave then"

"Sounds good"

…

Hours later, the trio of Zach, Henry and Aria arrived at Shaymin Village in the east. The village had verdant light green grass along with leaf huts for housing. Dozens of small, white and blue hedgehog-like Pokemon scurried around, helping out the other Pokemon coming in from Spinda's Cafe.

"Mm, I like this place" Aria breathed in the fresh, sweet smelling air "It's beautiful, peaceful and the Shaymin here are so cute!"

"Welcome to Shaymin Village" A Shaymin greeted "It's nice to meet you. My name is Shaymin"

Shaymin paused, then looked around herself in embarrassment "Then again, we're all Shaymin and we look the exact same, so it's hard to tell us apart…"

"Not a problem if we keep an eye on you" Zach replied, smiling "Anyways, it's nice to meet you too. We're Team Skylar"

The Luxray pointed at Henry and Aria beside him "I'm Zach, this is Henry and that's Aria"

"Are you here to climb Sky Peak, Team Skylar?" Shaymin asked, glancing at the gigantic mountain range behind her "You probably already know how tall the peak is. Many Pokemon bailed out on the challenge mid-climb"

"Well, we won't know how tough it is until we climb it" Aria said, smiling at Shaymin "I take it that you guide people up the mountain?"

"Yes, we've been doing that for decades" Shaymin grinned "Years ago, an earthquake destroyed the mountain path leading up here, so we haven't guided anyone in a long time. Explorers stopped coming as a result"

"So were you surprised when the survey team came into the village?" Zach asked.

"Oh yes, we were! Not too long after the survey team visited, many more Pokemon travelers came by" Shaymin replied "Now we're guiding people up Sky Peak again. Thank you for that"

"So that explains why Sky Peak is only spoken in legends and folklore…" Aria said thoughtfully "The earthquake that destroyed the mountain path was how many years ago?"

"Twenty years. That's why everyone forgot about Sky Peak" Shaymin chewed her lip "But anyhow, would you like me to guide you up the mountain? We Shaymin are the only ones who know their way up Sky Peak after all"

"That would be delightful. Thank you very much" Aria smiled, then turned to Zach and Henry "Let's prepare at the Kangaskhan Rock over there, then get going!"

Once preparations were finished, we met Shaymin at the entrance and departed to Sky Peak. The base of the mountain was a verdant grassland with large rocks dotting the landscape. It was filled with Grass type Pokemon like Grotle, Roselia, Weepinbell and Torterra. There were also the occasional Flygon and Skuntank.

"Ugh, this place reminds me of Mystifying Forest" Zach groaned. He hated that he had to resort to Crunch to slay the enemy Pokemon. It always ended with him having bloodstained teeth and bad breath "Grass type Pokemon are everywhere and even when they aren't, Flygon are here too"

"This team isn't all you Zach" Shaymin smiled gently, then glanced at Henry gobbling up a Metapod easily and Aria torching a Ivysaur with Flamethrower "Henry and Aria here are having a field day. They can get us past the first five station passes easily"

"I'm sure you know the feeling of being dead weight Shaymin" Zach deadpanned "By the way, how many station passes are here on the peak?"

"Ten passes"

Zach sighed "Then I'm useless for half the dungeon. Brilliant"

"Hey, cheer up" Shaymin stared at Zach intently "I could tell you're newly evolved. A Pokemon can always be useful with more than just moves"

"My team's co leader, an Eevee named Priscilla is exactly like that" the Luxray replied, glancing around with his x-ray vision to find any enemies "With moves alone, she's pretty weak. But she is extremely resourceful, using throwing items, seeds, orbs or anything to distract the enemy and let us get the kill"

"See? A perfect example of not needing to be strong to be useful on an exploration team" Shaymin smiled "So don't be discouraged that you're at a disadvantage for most of the dungeon. It's just going to help your adaptive skills as an explorer, right?"

"I guess you're right" Zach shrugged, then glared at a Raticate hiding behind a rock "Don't bother hiding. I can see right through you"

The Luxray's fur pulsed with electricity and Zach roared, calling down a blue thunderbolt that smote the Raticate to ash. Sadly, the same result didn't occur to the Ivysaur nearby. The seed Pokemon prepared to fire a volley of Razor Leaf at Zach, but Aria slithered behind it and roasted it with Flamethrower, charring it to a crinkled leaf.

"We almost to the first station pass. Don't get tired now" Shaymin led us up the winding mountain path towards a clearing. The path onward was only going to get higher.

"Oh! Hello Shaymin!" Zach turned to the new voice behind him and saw a Machoke, Mawile and Breloom hauling several crates up the mountain path. The Mawile held a wooden crate in the mouth on the back of her head, as she was too small to hold multiple crates.

"Hello. You're the survey team, right?" Shaymin greeted "You are… Team Frontier?"

"Yep. We're taking these crates up to the second station pass" the Machoke nodded "We're planning to set up a camp there for explorers to rest and resupply. It'll help out them a lot"

"How generous of you! Thank you so much!" Shaymin grinned "So… what do you have in those crates?"

"A campfire, a Kangaskhan Rock, several sleeping bags, jugs of water and rations" Breloom replied behind a tower of boxes "Everything you need in a rest stop"

"Thank you. You should be going now" Shaymin nodded "You're probably tired from carrying all of that"

"Rest assured, this is nothing for me" Machoke nodded to his purple arms, lined with red "In fact, this is good strength training for me. Hiking up a mountain while carrying several tonnes of crates… excellent workout"

"You can only say that for yourself" Mawile dropped the crate in her back-mouth on the ground and sat to rest "Ugh… my mouth is sore…"

"Here, I'll take your crate for now" Breloom stacked Mawile's crate atop of his "Since you're free, you can protect us while we go through the second pass"

"Speaking of the second pass, now would be a good time to leave" Machoke nodded to Shaymin "See you guys later!"

"Bye! Safe travels!" Shaymin watched Team Frontier hike up the path, then turned to us "Anyway, are you three ready to continue on?"

"Yes. We're good to go" Zach nodded.

"Very well. Let's go. The second station pass shouldn't be far from here" Shaymin informed and we continued on the path, battling ambushing Grass types that hoped to prey on us from the rocks. However, Zach's x-ray vision exposed them easily and Henry clipped them from the air.

"Hey Aria. I'm just wondering…" Henry lowered himself down to ground level and watched the Dragonair vaporize a Flygon with Dragon Pulse "I heard Dragonite is super strong physically. So why are you using special moves?"

"I sparred with the others a lot, so I had to good time to analyze my strength" Aria replied, her eyes darting around in search of other enemies "I found that my physical strength with moves like Aqua Tail and Dragon Rush is much weaker than with special moves like Dragon Pulse and Flamethrower"

"So… you're saying you specialize more in special moves than in physical?" Henry frowned "You don't need to make it complicated. Is Ezra rubbing off on you?"

"O-oh. Whoops" Aria blushed "But yeah, you're right. My special attacks are much stronger than my physical ones, based on my analysis"

"You're going to need a lot of TMs to round out the movepool then" Zach said, walking into Henry and Aria's conversation "If I recall, Dragonite doesn't learn a lot of special moves naturally"

"Yeah, I talked about this with Priscilla before and she said we had a Thunderbolt TM in the storage" Aria nodded "So Dragon Pulse, Thunderbolt, Flamethrower and Agility. That sounds good"

"You're going to be one strange Dragonite, watching you shoot plumes of fire and thunderbolts instead of swinging around your tail or raking enemies with your claws" Henry remarked "Unconventional, but effective I guess"

"I don't remember Dragonite having strong innate magical potential though" Zach's claws sparked with electricity and he slashed apart a Bayleef "Just like with Staraptor, Dragonite just aren't fit to be using special attacks"

"I'll make it work" Aria's head wings fluttered "Besides, I'm sure Dragonite has SOME sort of innate magical skill. They are mythical dragon Pokemon after all, rarely seen in the wild"

"Guess we won't know until you evolve" Zach focused ahead and saw that the grassy mountain path gradually changed to a beige rocky one. The large grey rocks dotting the landscape disappeared entirely and were replaced by clusters of small dusty pebbles in the dirt.

"Wow, Team Frontier moves fast" Shaymin remarked, pointing to the campfire and Kangaskhan Rock up ahead "They already have the camp set up for explorers to rest"

"Hey! It's you four from the first station pass!" Breloom greeted as we entered the base "Just to let you know, we set up multiple sleeping bags, a campfire, a Kangaskhan Rock and established Drifblim's Goldoa to take you back to the village. Use them whenever you want!"

"Project P's covering the expenses, so everything's free" Machoke added, then nodded to a pile of wooden crates beside him "Okay team, time to go to the 4th station pass and make another base!"

"If only… we had more hands than this…" Mawile sat on the rocky ground to catch her breath "I don't know if my back-mouth can handle more…"

"Hey, I'll help out!" a nearby Heracross volunteered "You're doing so much for everyone hiking the peak, so I want to repay a debt"

"More assistance is always welcome. Thank you Heracross" Breloom handed the single horn Pokemon two storage crates "Are you okay handling those?"

"Yep! No problem for me!" Heracross assured, holding the wooden crates atop his large horn "Let's get going. I don't think I can hold this forever"

"Yeah, good idea" Breloom hauled up his share of storage and turned to Mawile "How are you doing? Are you able to stand?"

"Yeah… I think I can" Mawile took a deep breath and brought herself up, clenching a storage box inside her back-mouth "Let's hurry to the fourth pass quick"

After Team Frontier and Heracross left, Shaymin turned to Team Skylar with a smile.

"It's heartwarming seeing so many Pokemon working together to help others" Shaymin gazed at the distant peaks beside her "Two years ago, every wild Pokemon in this land became hostile and uncooperative. I went to see my Carnavine friends at the 5th station path and they…"

"What did they do…?" Aria asked, her voice uneasy.

"It's not as bad as you think it is" Shaymin replied, brushing her small white paw against the stone ground "The Carnavine were friends with the Shaymins for centuries, but when I went up to visit, they chased me out. Maybe they had a fight?"

"It's because of the time problems we had two years ago" Zach whispered to Aria "The fear of the world ending must of spread and made wild Pokemon obsessed with self-preservation. Just like Silvin and Priscilla said about Dialga"

"It really makes you realize just how much of an effect the planet's paralysis had on the world" Aria replied, keeping her voice low "But… why are we whispering?"

"Telling Shaymin about the time issues two years ago will take too long" Zach said "And we don't know the full story. If Shaymin wants to know, get Silvin and Priscilla to tell her"

"Excuse me. Is everything alright?" Shaymin asked politely.

"Yeah, it's fine. Just a bit of… secretive talk" Zach coughed "Anyways, is everyone ready to continue on?"

"Yep, ready to move out" Aria nodded, then her voice dropped to a whisper "I really hope the wild Pokemon change soon. Facing the same Grass types is SO boring…"

"Now you know my pain, except I can hardly dent the Grass types" Zach sighed "At least Henry's having fun"

"Well, we're on rocky ground, right?" Aria pointed to the clusters of pebbles on the ground with her tail "I doubt many Grass type thrive here"

"Rock means ground and Grounds are immune to electricity" the Luxray reminded Aria "Sky Peak is just not good for Electric types"

"Hey! Are you guys done yet?" Henry called. He and Shaymin were already on the path ahead, staring at us expectantly "Come on! What are you two waiting for?!"

"Sorry Henry! We're coming!" Zach turned to Aria "Let's go"

"Right behind you" the Dragonair nodded.

Zach groaned at the sight of more Grass types. Turns out, Aria's assumption was wrong and the second station pass had the exact same enemy Pokemon from the last two passes. Apparently, Grass types CAN thrive in rocky terrain. Somehow.

"Now this is just ridiculous. Look at the terrain around us!" Aria shot a plume of fire from her mouth that roasted a Weepinbell to ash "There's no way a Grass type can live here. It's all rocks, infertile soil and dirt"

"Now don't assume things so quickly Aria. There's a reason why Grass types live at the base of Sky Peak" Shaymin turned to the Dragonair with a gentle smile "You see, grass grows all over the base of the mountain and are filled to the brim with nutrition. Wildflowers and trees sprout easily here too"

"Then what's with the rocky path we're on now?" Aria slapped away a Roselia with her tail and let Henry finish it off "If grass really grows all over the base, this pass should be just like the first and second ones"

"It's long and tragic history" Shaymin stared at the ground with a solemn look "Decades ago, my grandma guided a trio of Fire types up the peak, a Typhlosion, a Camerupt and a Magmorter. On this very pass, they encountered a Monster House"

"... They couldn't have possibly started a fire so great that it burned the entire pass to ash" Zach scoffed, but Shaymin nodded at it.

"No, they did it. When the Monster House came down, the Typhlosion and Camerupt spewed volcanic rock with Eruption while Magmorter unleashed waves of fire with Blast Burn. The destruction was so great that the entire second pass was burned to cinders" Shaymin scratched the ground with her paw "My grandma was killed in the flames that day. The second pass is still recovering from that incident and its also why we forbid Fire types from hiking up the peak"

"I recall seeing a team from Treasure Town walk away in disappointment at the village" Aria had a thoughtful look on her face "It was… Team Flame, right?"

"The one with the Bellsprout leader? Yeah, I remember seeing them" Zach nodded "But… they definitely get an award for worst exploration team name"

"To be fair Zach, a lot of the exploration teams I talked to have bad names" Henry landed, crushing a Metapod with his talons "There's stuff like Team Seedgey, Team Razor Wind, Team Slacker and Team Tasty"

"Team Tasty?!"

"It's a duo of Swellow and Wurmple" Henry explained "And get this, the Wurmple thinks his partner named the team "Tasty" because that's what Swellow thinks Wurmple is! You can't blame Swellow though. Wurmple IS pretty tasty…"

"You're pretty tactless, aren't you?" Aria sighed "Seedgey's that Pidgey Seedot team, right?"

"Yep. Literally just the "seed" from Seedot plus "gey" from Pidgey. Simple, silly sounding and kinda bad" Henry replied.

"I remember seeing Team Razor Wind in the guild once" Zach recalled "They are a team of Zangoose, Scyther and Sandslash. All blade-based Pokemon"

"It's funny they named themselves Team Razor Wind because do you think Sandslash and Zangoose can whip up razor-sharp whirlwinds?" Henry raised his wing to shield an incoming Razor Leaf "Scyther makes sense, since he can fly I guess. But Zangoose and Sandslash?"

"I guess something like Team Blade would be too edgy and scary-sounding" Aria frowned "Also Henry, Scyther can't fly"

"I'm not blind Aria. I see those wings on the back of Scyther" Henry replied, irritated.

"Yes, but Scyther very rarely spread their wings to fly. It's a known fact" the Dragonair explained "Many Pokemon just accept the fact they can't fly anymore"

"So what about Team Slacker? They sound like a lazy team" Zach said, changing the subject "Are they the Slakoth and Slowpoke I see in Treasure Town?"

"Yep, just those two" Henry deflected a Bayleef's Magical Leaf and brutally crushed its throat with his talons "As their name implies, all they do is slack off. I'm surprised they even managed to officially make a team!"

"I'm more surprised they can get out of bed and make it to Treasure Town everyday" Aria laughed "Sometimes, I even see them in the guild staring at the notice boards. But they always say rescue jobs are too much work"

"They say that for everything. I heard them say that going to the Hot Springs to relax is too much effort" Zach added "They even talk slow, as if talking is too much work for them"

"I don't see that team going anywhere. That's probably why it only has those two" Aria giggled "Ah, we've gotten horribly off topic"

"Yeah, we went from the tragedy of the second pass to the exploration teams of Treasure Town. Sorry for squandering your tale Shaymin. I hope your grandma rests in peace" Zach apologized.

"No, no. It's alright" Shaymin smiled "I've long since made my peace with that. I'm just happy to see you three interacting and well… being friends. For a while, I haven't seen so much trust and companionship"

Aria, Zach and Henry all turned red, flustered.

"H-hey! There's the clearing! Let's hurry along!" Zach pointed to a rest stop ahead, anxious to put Shaymin's words behind him.

"Aw, what are you three so embarrassed about?" Shaymin teased, then sighed contently "Ah well, I wouldn't be a good guide if I made my customers uncomfortable. Let's rest at the third station pass, then continue on. The path should be grown with vegetation soon"

When the group reached the third station pass, Shaymin turned to Zach.

"By the way Zach, did you or Henry and Aria happen to find a Sky Gift along the way?" Shaymin asked.

"A Sky Gift? What's that?" Aria tilted her head in confusion.

"A Sky Gift is a special kind of treasure that only appears on Sky Peak" Shaymin explained "They're small, cloud-blue gift boxes. As the name implies, it's meant to be given to others. If the original founder opens it, they'll be nothing inside"

"Oh I see. That sounds so sweet and generous" Aria grinned "Although… I don't think I spotted any Sky Gifts along the way. Did you see any Henry?"

"Nope, didn't see any" the Staraptor shook his head, then turned to Zach "Did you see any with your x-ray vision?"

"I didn't know they were here, so I wasn't actively looking" Zach replied "Guess we can keep a lookout for them from now on. We can give them to the others"

"I'm sure they'll appreciate it. A little memento of our adventure" Aria smiled at the prospect of it "I wonder what they'll get though. After all, WE have no idea what's in the Sky Gifts"

"You won't know until they open it. That just adds to the surprise factor" Shaymin said "Plus, you can't get blamed for giving someone the wrong gift. The Sky Gift will always gift the receiver with something beneficial"

"I wonder how that works. Magic?" Henry wondered aloud.

"Something like that. It's something I don't know personally" Shaymin shrugged "Anyways, we seem rested up and ready to leave. Shall we go?"

"Lead the way Shaymin" Zach nodded and the trio followed the gratitude Pokemon into the third pass.

 _Our team:_

 _\- Zach, Luxray_

 _Level 49_

 _Moves: Thunder Fang, Crunch, Spark and Charge_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Henry, Staraptor_

 _Level 46_

 _Moves: Tackle, Wing Attack, Quick Attack and Close Combat_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Aria, Dragonair_

 _Level 45_

 _Moves: Dragon Pulse, Flamethrower, Dragon Rush and Agility_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Shaymin_

 _Level 50_

 _Moves: Energy Ball, Natural Gift, Magical Leaf and Synthesis_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **Sorry for taking longer than usual. Writing a chapter where half the dungeon has the exact same enemy Pokemon is hard. Anyways, here's the first real exploration with Team Skylar as an official team, the Sky Peak. Sky Peak has 10 station passes, with each pass being 4-6 floors long, making Sky Peak a long dungeon in retrospect. Fortunately, you can 9 rest spots, so it's not as long as it sounds. This chapter covers the first two passes and the next should cover the rest, so favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	36. Chapter 34: Treasure of the Sky

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 34: Treasure of the Sky

The third station pass was completely unchanged from the first. Unlike the second pass, which was burned away in a great fire, this pass featured tall grass, healthy vegetation and towering trees. Basically, everything down at the first station pass.

"Here we are again with the same Pokemon, environment and atmosphere" Aria sighed, then glanced at the sky "Although we're at a higher elevation now. It's slowly getting harder to breath"

"You can notice that?" Zach took a deep breath, but didn't feel anything different "Feels the same to me"

"Maybe Aria's weather manipulation gave her some awareness or something" Henry offered "That makes sense, right?"

"Mm, maybe…" Aria stared at the cliff side beside us "I can sense the air thinning out the higher we hike. Storm clouds are coming in from the west, so we should expect a downpour soon"

"Huh, so you CAN sense changes in the weather. Go figure" Henry took to the sky, narrowing his eyes to the west "But… I don't see any storm clouds coming in. Just the clear blue sky and the bright sun"

"Believe me, I can feel it" Aria insisted "But the rainstorm shouldn't come in a few hours. We're good for now"

"The rain would help the ruined second pass" Shaymin noted "Ever since the great fire, the nutrition in the earth has burned away. Even now, decades later, the land is still recovering and is nothing more than a barren wasteland"

"And to think, a simple Eruption and Blast Burn caused all that" Aria shuddered "I should be more careful with my Flamethrowers"

"You don't need to worry. Your fire is only a fraction of the Typhlosion, Magmorter and Camerupt's power" Shaymin reassured "Not only did the three Fire types use the strongest Fire moves in creation, there's also you know… three of them. Their power alone was three times stronger than yours Aria"

"That doesn't mean I can't cause a fire though…" Aria breathed a short flame onto a blade of grass, which quickly burnt to a crisp "If I'm not careful, I could fire a stream of flames over the grass and well… cause a wildfire"

"Hey, at least you're not spewing flaming volcanic rocks or sending out shock waves of godlike fire" Henry said "Surely, your Flamethrower can't destroy an entire mountain pass, right?"

"I guess…" Aria frowned and fired a Dragon Pulse at a opposing Raticate, as if wary of using Flamethrower again "I'll just stop using it for the time being, just to be safe"

"Your call" Zach shrugged, then focused ahead "Are we almost to the fourth station, Shaymin?"

"I can spot a clearing and the burning of a campfire ahead, so I say yes!" Henry called from above "Looks like Team Frontier already set up a base!"

"Damn, those guys are fast" Aria remarked, impressed "They have four slow-looking Pokemon carrying stacks of heavy crates and yet, they still make it here faster than we do"

"Maybe they hired bodyguards to protect them" Zach offered "After all, I doubt anyone could fight if they had to carry four heavy wooden crates on their shoulders"

"Either that or they just ignore all the wild Pokemon attacking them" Aria nodded "But anyhow, here we are at the fourth station base"

Just as we made it into the sunbathed camp, an Octillery ran down as fast as he could from the trail ahead. Well… more like Octillery was propelling himself forward with his tentacles to run.

"HELP! We need help!" Octillery cried as he came into the base, panting hard.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Mawile asked worriedly.

"The explorer Sneasel is getting attacked by a strange group at the fifth station clearing!" Octillery explained "He's surrounded six to one! We need to help him!"

"Team Frontier, move out! To the fifth station clearing!" Machoke ordered and Breloom nodded.

"Roger that. Let's go!" Breloom turned to Mawile and Heracross "Come on, you two. We have to hurry!"

The five Pokemon ran ahead and Shaymin stared ahead with a worried expression.

"Who could this "strange group" of Pokemon be…?" Shaymin murmured, as if asking herself the question "The fifth station clearing… a group of six Pokemon…"

Suddenly, the Shaymin snapped, as if she realized something horrible.

"Oh god no! The Carnivine!" Shaymin gasped, then turned to us "Guys, we have to hurry to the fifth station clearing. If we don't catch up, Team Frontier might accidentally kill the Carnivine!"

"The Carnivine… you mentioned that they were friends with the Shaymins for centuries, right?" Aria said slowly, like she was trying to remember "Didn't they chase you out the last time you went to visit them?"

"Yes, but I feel that now it'll be different! If we let Team Frontier kill them, then well…" Shaymin gritted her teeth "We shouldn't let them kill innocent people! We need to go up and stop them!"

"Hold up Shaymin. Didn't Octillery say that the Carnivine attacked a lone Sneasel?" Henry interrupted "In that case, aren't they the bad guys here?"

"I just want to see the truth for myself. Is that too much to ask?" Shaymin snapped, then took a deep breath "Sorry. But please, we need to see what's going on"

"Let's just comply with Shaymin's wishes, alright?" Zach said "Besides, we have to go up these passes to reach the top anyways. No harm in trying to catch up to Team Frontier"

"Other than tiring ourselves to death" Aria sighed "But whatever. We've wasted enough time here. Let's hurry to the fifth station clearing"

The fourth pass was a blur, mostly because we were too busy running as fast as we could to catch up with Team Frontier. Nothing changed with the atmosphere and the only thing different were the enemy Pokemon. Alongside the usual list of Grass types, Hitmonchan, Bibarel, Ursaring and Primeape were also present. Luckily, none of them were a threat to us aside from the Fire and Thunder Punching Hitmonchan for Shaymin and Henry.

"By the gods, these guys are prepared for almost anything…" Zach remarked as he dodged a Mach Punch from a Hitmonchan and retaliated with a Thunder Fang "They strike fast and have elemental punches that can hit anything for super effective damage"

"Not dragons though. We're resistant to all the basic elements!" Aria boasted, then gasped in pain when a Hitmonchan struck her hard with Ice Punch "Gaahh…. W-what…?"

"Hang in there, Aria!" Henry swooped down like a wild raptor and took Hitmonchan's neck clean off with Aerial Ace "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, I think…" Aria stared at the permafrost slowly spread over her body "I'm s-so cold…"

"Blow fire over your body to melt the ice!" Zach urged, stared at the widening permafrost "If you don't, the frost is going to spread and eventually freeze you solid. Do it, even if it hurts!"

"Oh, I'm not worried about toasting myself Zach. Don't you worry" Aria turned her head down and unleashed a torrent of flames, completely wreathing the Dragonair in an inferno. When the fire died down, the ice covering Aria's body was completely melted.

"You know what? Let's just avoid the Hitmonchan" Aria said, like blowing fire over yourself was a normal thing to do "Either that or nail them from a distance. They're too dangerous up close"

"Only I can fight the Hitmonchan up close" Zach glanced around for any incoming enemies "Not only do they not have a super effective move against me, I can attempt to frighten them so they back away"

"What makes you so scary that you can frighten a Hitmonchan?" Aria asked and Zach smiled darkly.

"Have you ever had a electrically powered lynx stare you down with bloody jaws bared?"

"Okay, I see your point now. Go ahead and scare away the Hitmonchans and Ursarings for us then" Aria said, shooing Zach away with her tail playfully "Me and Shaymin will be back here, firing attacks from a distance and Henry's… doing what Henry does"

"Hit and run attacks from the sky" Zach glanced up to see Henry gliding through the air, diving down to catch a Primeape or Bayleef by surprise with his talons. When you watched it, it was terrifying how many lives Henry could take so easily. He would glide in the air, patiently waiting for his prey to lower their guard and then come down, talons open to crush their neck.

"Hey Zach! Pay attention!" Aria snapped as a Ursaring nearly took Zach's head off with his giant claws. The Luxray slashed back with an electrified claw of his own and forced the Ursaring back, electrical discharge sparking over the bleeding claw wound. Shaymin followed up with a blast of Energy Ball, knocking the giant bear to the ground.

"I see the fourth station clearing up ahead everyone" Shaymin said "Just one more pass and we'll be at the fifth clearing"

We took a short break at the fourth clearing and continued onwards as fast as we could. There were no signs of Team Frontier around in the fourth or fifth pass. It was almost unnatural how fast they were moving.

"I don't like the way those Fearow are looking at you Shaymin…" Zach glanced at the Fearow flapping nearby uneasily "They look like they want to snatch you up and eat you for lunch"

"You have permission to smite them then" Shaymin nodded "I've personally never been a fan of the Fearow anyways. Down in the village, I've heard horror stories of Fearow snatching up unruly Shaymin in the night and carrying them to their nest up high on Sky Peak. What they do to the Shaymin, I'll never know"

"Guess we'll never know" Zach summoned an sparking electrical orb and sent it into the sky, discharging the electricity in a web of lightning. All the Fearows in the nearby area were electrocuted and dropped to the ground like stones. Henry landed next to Zach with an irritated look.

"Ah, come on Zach! I was having the best air battle up there!" Henry pouted, poking Zach's head with his massive wings "There was even a nice looking Fearow lady up there I wanted to impress. Now look at all of them. Dead on the ground"

"Uhm.. sorry for killing your lady?" Zach suppressed a laugh "But those Fearow looked like they wanted to eat Shaymin so... "

"Oh yeah, they wanted to devour Shaymin good" the Staraptor nodded "I overheard a conversation about a diversion. Apparently, a flock of Fearow would distract us three while another flock would attack Shaymin and abduct her"

"Wait… the Fearow EAT Shaymin?!" Aria deadpanned, then glared at the Fearow flying by above us "There's no better time than now to have that Thunderbolt TM…"

"The Shaymins and Fearows were never on good terms" Shaymin glanced nervously at the Fearow slowly circling above us "Like all bird Pokemon, Fearow eat primarily Grass and Bug types for food. Us Shaymin are no different, despite being one of the rarest Grass types alive"

"There's ton of other, more common Grass types in the area for food. Why do they insist on eating your kind specifically?" Aria watched the two Fearow above us slowly descend, as if they were about to attack. The Dragonair shot a column of flames into the air to scare them away.

"From what I heard, Shaymin are like Gummis to Fearow" Henry explained "To them, Shaymin taste just as good or better than Sky Gummies. That's why they actively hunt Shaymin whenever they come up this pass"

"Then we should stop walking and start running" Zach summoned another electrical web above the four to shield against incoming Fearow "The longer we stay here, the more Fearow are going to target Shaymin. I'm not sure us three can guarantee Shaymin's safety"

"Good idea. Are you three fine to run?" Shaymin asked, brushing her paw against the tall blades of grass "I only let us slow down to get a break after all. We still have to catch up to Team Frontier and Sneasel"

"Oh! I'm such an idiot…" Aria slapped her face with her tail "Why didn't I think of this sooner?"

"Think of what sooner?" Henry asked.

"This" Aria vigorously moved her body side to side, drastically increasing Zach, Henry and Shaymin's speed with Agility. A smoking white aura surrounded all four Pokemon, indicating the speed boost.

"Fantastic! This should get us to the fifth clearing quickly!" Shaymin grinned "Okay everyone, let's go!"

Thanks to Aria's Agility, we got to the fifth clearing at light speed, where we found Team Frontier facing down a group of six Carnivine surrounding Sneasel.

"Hey! What are you doing there?" Mawile called, alerting the six Carnivine "Sneasel, are you alright?"

As we arrived on the scene, Shaymin gasped in shock.

"I knew it! The "strange" group of Pokemon on the fifth clearing is the Carnivine!" Shaymin itched in between Machoke and Mawile and faced the Carnivine at the front "Stand down everyone! The Carnivine are innocent!"

"What?! What kind of "innocent" Pokemon gang up on a explorer six to one?!" Mawile growled angrily "No more talk! Carnivine, we're Team Frontier and this time, we're your opponents!"

"Oh ho, that sounds good. Carnivine, surround them!" the lead Carnivine commanded as the other five surrounded us and Team Frontier.

"No, no, no! Everyone calm down! DON'T FIGHT!" Shaymin yelled, but nobody listened. Team Frontier and the Carnivine were already engaged in combat. Machoke evaded a Vine Whip from a Carnivine and struck back with Cross Chop, knocking the bug catcher Pokemon into another like bowling pins. Breloom's eyes glowed with blue light, the result of Mind Reader as he launched ferocious combos of Mach Punch and Dynamic Punch.

"Take this!" Breloom slammed a Carnivine in the face, causing a series of violent explosions that knocked the bug catcher Pokemon down, covering it in burns. Mawile caught a Carnivine's Vine Whip with her back-mouth and swung him around, slamming the enemy Pokemon into a tree. Machoke powered through a Carnivine's Crunch and slapped it unconscious with Wake-Up Slap.

"Hey! Where did Sneasel go?!" Zach called in the midst of the chaos. Past the attacking Carnivine, the sharp claw Pokemon ran off, leaving Team Frontier and Skylar to take care of the Carnivine.

"He wasn't injured at all! He provoked the Carnivine so they'll delay us! He wants to get to the treasure first!" Aria dodged a Carnivine's Faint Attack and retaliated with a weak Dragon Pulse, pushing the bug catcher Pokemon back "Wait… what is Shaymin doing? Why is she glowing green…?"

"EVERYBODY STOP!" Shaymin yelled as she expelled a powerful green shockwave with Seed Flare. While the attack wasn't directed at anybody, the force was enough to knock all of us down onto the ground. Nearby, trees snapped and entire fields of grass were sliced as the shockwave dissipated.

"That was… that was…" Mawile stared at the demolished trees and blades of grass with a mix of awe and horror.

"Carnivine! We told you this many times before!" Shaymin chided "We told you not to bother the explorers coming up Sky Peak and yet here you are again, harassing a lone Sneasel!"

"Who took advantage of the chaos and ran off…" Zach murmured quietly.

"Yeah b-but, he started it!" The lead Carnivine rubbed his leaf hands together "We found some treasure earlier, but that weasel snatched it from right under our noses!"

"Hey, wait a minute! Where did he go?" Another Carnivine looked around the clearing, but Sneasel was already far off "That little…! He ran off while we were fighting!"

"Ah! So we…" Breloom hung his head in shame "We automatically assumed you were the villains first without knowing the details. Sorry about that"

"Well… I can't exactly say they're the good guys either…" Shaymin frowned and the Carnivine balked in surprise.

"Oh come on! You haven't seen us for so long and this is how you treat us?" The lead Carnivine sighed "Oh well. You're a Shaymin, so I'll let it pass. We'll try not to harass explorers anymore, but we don't like Pokemon doing things as they please"

"Alright, I'll tell the others when I get back to the village" Shaymin nodded "See you around!"

"Bye!" And the remaining Carnivine left the clearing.

"I apologize for that. The Carnivine here marked the fifth pass and clearing as their territory" Shaymin explained "They're really nice, but rough when they speak. They're… misunderstood, so to say"

"We're also to blame here. We jumped straight into the fight without knowing all the details" Mawile crossed her arms and stared at the ground regretfully "Sorry for that Shaymin"

"That's why you shouldn't judge by appearances… or outsider information" Breloom said "It's only until you see the truth for yourself that you can make decisions"

"Well… now that that's taken care of, we need to go back to the third clearing" Machoke said "There's two shipments of supplies left to deliver. We need to set up a base here and at the seventh clearing"

Mawile groaned "After that fight, I'm not sure I can even carry supplies up one pass. Hopefully we can find more volunteers who could help…"

"Heracross and Octillery should still be at the third clearing. If they left, they'll be around the fourth" Machoke stared down the mountain path "Those two could help"

"Oh thank goodness" Mawile sighed with relief "Then let's hurry along then. Good luck climbing the rest of the peak, Team Skylar!"

Once Team Frontier left, Shaymin turned to us.

"So anyways, welcome to the fifth clearing! We're halfway up the peak!" Shaymin grinned, staring at the summit that pierced the clouds in the distance "Only five more passes and we'll be at the summit"

"What are we waiting for then? Let's get going!" Henry took flight, soaring over the sixth pass "Come on everyone!"

Like the second pass, the sixth pass was gradually devoid of the grass and trees that covered the first five passes. Instead, grey stone, pebbles and gravel littered the ground and the peaks beside us grew starker and taller, the tops covered with snow. The enemy Pokemon remained the same, with a mix of Grass, Normal and Fighting type Pokemon.

"From this pass onward, you won't be seeing anymore Grass type Pokemon" Shaymin said, cocking her head at the gravel hills and mountains of stone around us "Due to the lack of grass, nutrition and well… everything except rocks, Grass types have a hard time thriving here. This is their border in Sky Peak. To them, travelling onwards is forbidden and suicidal"

"That's reassuring. At least we won't be fighting the same Grass types over and over again" Aria sighed with relief "I've already consumed three Max Elixirs just for Flamethrower"

"Ezra's going to scold you for overdosing when we get home" Henry joked "According to her, overusing Max Elixirs can lead to dizziness, nausea and uhh… I think vomiting. Your skin starts feeling hot too"

Zach gave Henry a confused look "How would you possibly remember all of that? If I recall correctly, you have no interest in medicine or alchemy like Ezra is"

"Aw, you wound me Zach!" The Staraptor laughed "I just… end up in the infirmary a lot, so Ezra scolds me often. One time, I drunk four Max Elixirs in one dungeon session and well… got all the symptoms I just listed"

"Oh, I remember that" Aria frowned "Poor Ezra had to monitor you all night to make sure you don't choke on your own puke. I found that Absol collapsed on her desk, sleeping long past noon the next day"

"We really don't give enough credit to her or Sara. They honestly do take care of all of us" Zach noted.

"It'll be a good idea to give our first Sky Gifts to them" Aria agreed "Speaking of which, have any of you found any?"

"Nope" Zach shook his head, then pointed to Henry in the sky "If Henry can't see them from the sky, I can't either"

"Oh? What's that lying in the ground there then?" Aria slithered over and dug out a small light blue gift box with her tail "How do I have better eyesight than both you and Henry?"

"And I'm the one with the x-ray vision…" Zach groaned "Fine, you're on. Let's see who can find the most Sky Gifts before we reach the clearing. Go!"

With the power of Aria's Agility, we collected Sky Gifts all the way until they made it to the seventh clearing. The ground beneath them was blanketed with snow and snowflakes fell gently from the sky.

"Here we are the seventh clearing everyone!" Shaymin turned to us and grinned at the amount of Sky Gifts we found "Wow, you three found a lot of Sky Gifts!"

"Fifteen gifts in total" Aria nodded, pointing to the obvious bulge in her treasure bag with her tail "That'll be enough to give everyone at camp two gifts"

"No better way to remember our journey than this" Zach agreed, then frowned at something in the corner of the clearing "Hey, what's going on there? Team Frontier are huddling up with someone…"

We made our way to the scene and saw that Sneasel was collapsed on the ground, out cold. He was shivering and his skin was tinted blue from the cold.

"Whoa, what happened here?!" Shaymin asked worriedly.

"I don't know. We just found him collapsed here" Breloom informed, fidgeting with his red clawed hands nervously "I don't know if it was because of the cold or he ran out of items, but this is dangerous"

"We need to bring him back to the fifth clearing for treatment! I think there's an emergency Wigglytuff doctor down there" Mawile urged, but Shaymin cleared her throat.

"There's no need. I know someone who can help" Shaymin said, then cocked her head at the eighth station pass "Up ahead at the eighth clearing is a local Ampharos who is an experienced doctor. He'll be able to help"

"Finding Ampharos will be easier than bringing Sneasel all the way back down to the fifth clearing" Machoke nodded "Okay, we'll watch Sneasel while you four fetch Ampharos, alright?"

"Sounds like a plan. Let's get going everyone" Shaymin told us and after a short break and resupply at the Kangaskhan Statue, we continued onwards.

"Brr… it's getting a little cold here…" Aria shivered, then pulled out a light yellow scarf from her bag to wrap around herself "Curse my skin for being so… so thin…"

"I feel your pain. I can hardly fly with the frost spreading on my wings" Henry flapped his giant wings again, expelling a layer of snow off "And the closer I get to the clouds, the m-more snow piles up on me. It's… it's cold…"

"Hang in there everyone. Ampharos's station is not too far from here" Shaymin stared at the snowflakes falling from the grey clouds above us. The view below the cliffside was only white mist. We could barely see the ground anymore.

"I have never been more thankful for my evolution than now" Zach shook the snow off his fur "Before this, I hated how the fur on my body obstructed my eyes and made me ridiculously hot down in the lower passes. Now it's much better"

"G-good for you…" Aria chattered, then stared at Shaymin in amazement "How are you not freezing to death? Is the grass on your back warm like Zach's fur?"

"No actually. Under normal circumstances, I'll be just as cold as you" Shaymin laughed "And unlike you, a scarf would bury me whole. I've just climbed Sky Peak so many times I got used to the cold"

"Do you know Ampharos personally like the Carnivine? Because I doubt many Pokemon can survive up to this point to be honest…" Henry wrapped his wings around himself as he shivered.

"Actually yes. Ampharos is one of my best friends" Shaymin explained "I wish he lived closer, but he says that his family's been living in the eighth clearing region for centuries, so I'll have to tolerate it. Nevertheless, my visits to see him gave me a tolerance to the cold"

"W-what kind of Pokemon could possibly live in this environment…?" Aria mumbled "Probably only Ice types…"

"You'll be surprised because there aren't any native Ice types here" Shaymin's eyes darted to the Ursaring and Bibarel lumbering around the mountains, gathering food or huddling in their caves "In reality, the snowy region near the summit is inhabited by mostly Normal types. There's the occasional Primeape, Hitmonchan, Skuntank…"

"... Anything else?" Zach asked, absently drawing a Z in the snow with his claw "You paused for a second"

"Well, there ARE two more native Pokemon here" Shaymin's gaze seemed to be more focused, like she was looking for something specific "They are just rarely seen. Marowak and Shedinja"

"Who are those two Pokemon?" Henry asked.

"Marowak is the evolved form of Cubone. It's said that it wears the skull of its departed mother and relentlessly hunts their mother's killers for revenge" Shaymin explained with a tone of sinister darkness "They are experts of using a bone as a weapon. They either use them as a close range club or throw them like boomerangs"

"A boomerang bone club…?" Aria wondered aloud "How does that even work? If I recall, bones aren't exactly aerodynamic…"

"I personally don't know much about it myself. Sorry" Shaymin apologized "Although I read a tale about a Machamp blacksmith who created boomerang throwing axes and javelins. His creations led on to be staples in human wars"

"Interesting. What about Shedinja?" Zach asked.

"Shedinja is arguably the scariest legend talked among the Shaymins. Folklore says that Shedinja is the possessed, leftover husk of a Nincada after it evolves into Ninjask" Shaymin explained "It's apparently near impossible to kill and peering into the crack of its back is said to rob the souls of the living. Best not to get close to it, should you see it"

"... Okay, let's hope we don't meet any of them…" Aria stuttered, then froze in her tracks in fear.

"Huh? What's the matter Aria…?" Henry trailed off and he was left speechless as a floating, cracked husk of a beetle was right behind Aria's head. It's black, cold and dead eyes bore into the Dragonair's skull like it could see right through it.

"You say Shedinja is near invincible. How do you kill it…?" Aria whispered, her voice tainted with fear and unease.

"I don't know. Nobody I've heard of has ever defeated it" Shaymin whispered back "He doesn't seem to be attacking. Maybe try to strike him with your moves…?"

"Okay, I'll… slowly back away from it…" Aria slithered away from the silent Shedinja nervously. It's stillness and silence was eerie.

"I'll take the first shot" Zach's fur pulsed with electricity and the lynx lunged, ripping through Shedinja with Spark. But as he did, Zach passed through Shedinja like it was a mirage and landed on his feet behind it. From there, he could see the crack in Shedinja's back. Almost instantly, Zach nearly passed out.

"You weren't kidding when you said peering into the back steals your soul" Zach groaned, forcing his head into the snow, careful to lift his head "But how did I pass through it? He's Ghost type clearly, but I used Spark…"

"What about this?" Aria charged a sphere of ethreal energy into her mouth with Dragon Pulse and fired it at the floating husk. Like Zach, the Dragon Pulse passed through the Shedinja like it wasn't there, much to Aria's surprise and horror.

"Will this work?" Henry shook the snow off his body and flapped his wings viciously, stirring up a whirlwind. The fierce winds blew the possessed husk around and made it crash against a mountainside, breaking into pieces.

"Is… is it dead?" Aria stared at the broken shell carefully, but it didn't move. The Shedinja's shell was broken and the spirit passed on.

"Hmm… the Shedinja legend DID mention something about it having an ability called Wonder Guard" Shaymin curled her lip "So that explains why nobody has killed it. Wonder Guard makes it immune to certain types of moves…?"

"If so, they why did Henry's whirlwinds work on it?" Aria asked as we continued up the path.

"Luck probably" Shaymin shrugged "Or maybe Wonder Guard makes Shedinja immune to all attacks aside from its weaknesses? Shedinja IS Bug/Ghost type after all"

"Perhaps" Zach pursed his lips "Nevertheless, now we know how to deal with them. Not so scary after all now"

"The look on Aria's face was priceless though" Shaymin giggled and Aria turned red with embarrassment "She literally froze up and looked so terrified!"

"Cut it out, you little hedgehog!" Aria pouted "I'm sure you'll be scared to death if a possessed beetle husk floats behind you and breaths on your neck"

"I'm so small that he wouldn't be able to float behind me!" Shaymin laughed, then focused ahead "Ah! There's Ampharos's home!"

We walked into a clearing free of snow. A spring of water was flowing in the corner of the home and a campfire sizzled nearby. Several logs covered the clearing and a slightly opened crate full of apples was beside us. Nearby the Kangaskhan Rock was an Ampharos, who was mulling about while cleaning his home.

"Ampharos!" Shaymin called and the Ampharos turned with a smile on his face when he saw Shaymin.

"Oh hello Eliana! Long time no see!" Ampharos greeted cheerfully, crouching down to Shaymin's height to pat her head.

"Eliana? That's Shaymin's real name?" Aria asked curiously and Shaymin glanced at her, embarrassed.

"Sorry about that. Since our job is to escort travellers up Sky Peak, we typically don't give out our real names" Shaymin explained "The journey up Sky Peak is mostly a one-time thing for people, so there's little point in remembering the Shaymin guides specifically"

"Well, that's a little bit more we know about you. That's always nice" Zach nodded "And Eliana is a beautiful name"

"Awh, thank you Zach!" Eliana gushed, then turned to Ampharos "Anyways Ampharos, we didn't come up here for a reunion. There's a Sneasel down at the seventh clearing who has fainted. His skin is cold and feverish and he's shivering like crazy!"

"Ah, I see. The seventh clearing, you say?" Ampharos walked over to his Kangaskhan Statue and drew out a blanket, a cup and a jug of hot, medical tea from the pocket dimension "Alright, you four stay here and wait for me. I'll go help the Sneasel"

Back down at the seventh clearing, the snow began growing stronger by the second. Only an hour later, Team Frontier is going to have to deal with a blizzard.

"D-damn it all… where is this Ampharos…?!" Mawile chattered, holding her arms while shivering "I'm f-freezing and Sneasel's not doing any better!"

"Hello! I'm here to help!" Ampharos's voice echoed from above the mountain path and the light Pokemon trudged down to the clearing, carrying his supplies "Are you three alright?"

"We can hold out for a while longer" Machoke answered "But I think it'll be a good idea to bring Sneasel up to your home before this blizzard hits…"

"That's exactly what I'm doing. Machoke, carry Sneasel for me" Ampharos handed Machoke the unconscious Sneasel, who was wrapped up in a thick, wool blanket "Mawile and Breloom, defend us as we hike up the seventh pass. I need to carry back this cup and tea jug in case he regains consciousness"

"Very well. Let's hurry up then" Breloom glanced nervously at the grey clouds, which were raining snowflakes at a much stronger rate than before "If we stay here any longer, I might just die of hypothermia…"

"Same for me…" Mawile chattered "L-let's go…!"

Team Frontier made it to the eighth clearing just as the blizzard struck the seventh pass. Machoke laid Sneasel down onto the bed per Ampharos's orders and undid the blanket on him, covering it over Sneasel's shivering body.

"He doesn't look okay. I can see the permafrost spreading on his legs and arms…" Aria murmured to Zach "If he doesn't get warmed up quick, both limbs could be disabled for life…!"

"Oof… uunngg…" Sneasel groaned and everyone snapped to attention, watching for Sneasel to make sure he was alright. After a few seconds, Sneasel blinked his eyes open and rubbed his eyes.

"Uunh… w-where am I…?" Sneasel asked weakly.

"You're at the eighth station clearing. We found you collapsed on the seventh clearing" Mawile explained.

"If Team Skylar didn't find Ampharos and brought you here, things wouldn't have gone good for you. Seriously" Breloom added.

"You… you did that for me…?" Sneasel murmured, dumbfounded.

"It wasn't just me. Everyone here came to your rescue" Ampharos handed Sneasel a cup of hot medicinal tea "Drink this. In an hour, the frost spreading on your arms and legs should melt and heal. Your internal organs should be warmed up to normal levels too"

"T-thank you…" Sneasel nodded and accepted the cup, drinking from it gingerly.

"The rest of you should be continuing ahead. I can take care of Sneasel" Ampharos told all of us "You're heading to the summit, right? This is the eighth station, so you're almost there"

"W-well… sorry if we're out of line but…" Mawile crossed her arms "We just want to keep an eye on Sneasel. Just to be doubly sure he's alright"

"You don't have to lie to say that you don't trust me with Sneasel's life" Ampharos replied, making Mawile flinch "Don't worry, I'm a professional. Ask Eliana"

"Ampharos can handle this. Don't worry" Eliana insisted "You won't accomplish anything by staying here. We should continue on to the summit and leave Sneasel in Ampharos's care"

"Well… if you say so Eliana" Breloom frowned, but relented nevertheless "Alright, we'll go ahead. But we're going to rest here for a while. You can go first"

"Sure. Are you three good to go?" Eliana asked us.

"Good as I've ever been. Let's move" Zach nodded and we departed from the eighth clearing, beginning our hike up the ninth station pass.

The moment we left Ampharos's home, the blizzard came down at full force. Snow piled the mountain path and Aria was forced to melt it away with Flamethrower for us to go through. Henry couldn't even get in the air to fly, so he was stuck on the ground, wrapping himself with his wings to keep warm.

"By the gods it's cold…" Aria murmured, blowing an intense column of flames over herself to keep warm "Even after I coat myself in fire, my skin still feels like it's freezing over"

"S-speak for yourself…" Henry chattered, pulling a borrowed blanket from Ampharos over himself "Please tell me the summit isn't c-cold like this… it'll ruin the view…"

"Don't worry. The summit is nothing like this" Eliana reassured, then pointed to the clouds "Sky Peak's summit is above the clouds, so only the sun hits it. You'll find the summit almost never blanketed by snow or rain"

"T-that's good…" Aria glanced ahead, watching the snow gradually pile up more and more "Don't tell me wild Pokemon live here. I don't think I have the strength to fend them off in these conditions"

"No wild Pokemon live in these parts. Too cold" Eliana shook her head "Absolutely no food grows in this region and running water is all but frozen over. So anyone who tries to live here ends up dead within the year"

"How does Ampharos survive then? His home is right in the middle of this infernal blizzard" Zach said.

"On rare occasions, Ampharos travels down to the lower station passes to gather large quantities of food and supplies" Eliana explained "Then he brings it back to his home and hoards it to outlast the blizzard until it's safe to go out again"

"Oh! So he kinda hibernates" Aria realized "Gathers food, water and supplies when the snowfall goes down, then hoards it while the blizzard hits. Smart plan"

"Ampharos's home at the eighth clearing is the borderline of "liveable" territory on Sky Peak" Eliana nodded "From this point to the summit, no Pokemon live here due to lack of food, water and oxygen"

Aria took a deep breath, then exhaled, expelling a cloud of visible cold air "Yeah, you're right. The oxygen up here is much thinner than it was back at the third pass hours ago. Go any higher and we could pass out"

"Fortunately, that usually doesn't happen" Eliana reassured "The lack of oxygen just stops people from living here, as daily activities like hunting and gathering food takes too much for them to bear"

"Hey! I see the ninth clearing!" Henry called and we arrived at the snow covered clearing that was constructed of dark grey stone. An aura of darkness and miasma hung in the air, which Eliana picked up on quickly.

"Hmm… something seems different from here the last time I went up…" the Shaymin murmured, then shook her head "No, it must be my imagination. Anyways, welcome to the ninth clearing! We're only one pass from getting to the summit!"

"Let's rest for a little bit before continuing on" Aria said, but Eliana stopped her.

"No, we should get moving right away" the Shaymin glanced at the clouds nervously "The blizzard's coming down harder by the second. If we linger here for too long, the storm will become too strong for us to move on. We need to break the clouds and reach the summit fast"

"Yeesh, now you're making this intense" Henry grit his teeth "But I'm all in for seeing the treasure of Sky Peak, so let's move on"

"I agree with Henry. Would be a waste to go back down after all our effort" Zach nodded "Let's go"

The final station pass was made entirely of the dark grey stone from the clearing. While it made the pathway look grand and foreboding, the air of toxicity and darkness persisted, making Zach twitchy.

"Something must be wrong. The air here feels so… dirty and rough. It's making Eliana turn purple" Zach murmured to Aria.

"You're right. The air here…" Aria sniffed the air briefly "It used to be clean and fresh, like the rest of Sky Peak. Now… it feels like an infestation of something foul has invaded"

"The final pass was recreated with grey stone to make the "staircase beyond the clouds" look majesty and grand" Eliana explained, oblivious to Zach and Aria's conversation "The Shaymins's ancestors created the pass after journeying up the second time"

"You weren't kidding when you meant "staircase beyond the clouds"" Aria stared ahead, where a set of stone steps led into the clouds, which were still pouring down sheets of snow "So the summit is right up ahead?"

"Yep, a simple, straight forward path made by my ancestors" Eliana nodded "Only a few more steps to go. Pace yourself"

We hiked up the stone steps and passed the clouds, leading into the summit. Zach expected a beautiful, verdant field of flowers atop the peak with a clear blue sky with the sun. Instead, he found a field of wilting flowers and an absolutely foul smell in the air.

"W-what is going on…?" Eliana gasped in shock "The field of Gracideas… it's been…"

"By the gods… the smog is even covering up the sun!" Henry pointed to the cloud of dark purple smog in the air, covering the entire field in darkness.

"Eliana, just what is going on here?" Zach asked "Clearly, you expected something different but…"

"I don't know! This has never happened before! What could…" Eliana gasped "No… not them. I told them to stay away from the summit!"

"Who are you talking about?" Aria asked.

"Looks like someone got here first" Breloom interrupted as Team Frontier came onto the scene, taking in the desecrated field of flowers.

"What… what is this…?" Mawile stuttered in surprise, picking a wilted flower that turned a horrible shade of dead grey "This is the summit?"

"No, this isn't but…" Eliana was interrupted by multiple voices that sounded like cartoon sludge monsters. Which meant the voice sounded like someone chewing something while speaking.

"Icky, sticky… grimy, slimy…" The voices chanted, like some sort of incantation "We loovvee dirt and slime…"

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" Eliana growled. Zach was surprised by how fierce Eliana's voice was "What have you done to Sky Peak?"

Without responding, the owners of the voices showed themselves and quickly surrounded us and Team Frontier. It was a horde of four Grimer and four Muk.

"You! We told you to stay away from the summit!" Eliana snarled at the Muk leader "This isn't your home! Please go back to where you belong!"

"No, nooooo…" One Grimer responded drunkenly.

"Lies, lieesss…" Another Grimer said.

"We drive away cleanliness…." A Muk added.

"Looks like we have no other choice but to fight" Eliana sighed "Everyone, I'm counting on you. Let's go!"

"Team Frontier, you'll be covering out backs?" Zach asked as the fight begun and the Grimer and Muk closed in.

"We'll do that, Team Skylar! Take the front!" Machoke nodded as he drove a powerful Dynamic Punch down a Muk's mouth, causing a series of explosions that knocked several of the enemy back. Mawile feinted an attack to the right, then struck on the left of Muk with Faint Attack, but she got a noseful of Muk's stench, causing her to back away coughing. Taking advantage of this, a Muk fired Mud Bomb at Mawile, but Henry slapped it away with his large wings.

"Is that all you got? Come on!" Henry barreled into a Grimer and Muk with Tackle, then sent them flying up with Wing Attack. The Staraptor then took flight and grabbed the two Pokemon with his talons, slamming them into the ground hard. Meanwhile, Aria took covered Eliana from a Muk's Sludge Bomb and got poisoned in the process, but the Shaymin let loose a gentle green aura from her body with Aromatherapy, curing everyone of poisoning.

"Watch your right, sir!" Breloom called as two Grimer attempted to pounce on Zach. The Luxray sidestepped and roared fiercely, calling down a thunderbolt from the sky to strike down the two Grimer. They were blasted away and left steaming in the corner. A Muk slapped Breloom down with Poison Jab, but the mushroom Pokemon released a cloud of spores on contact, putting the Muk to sleep.

"I got this one! Watch your back Breloom!" Aria blasted a column of blue and yellow energy with Dragon Pulse, slamming the sleeping Muk into the summit hillside. Breloom closed his eyes and concentrated briefly. When he opened his eyes again, they were glowing neon blue with Mind Reader. The mushroom Pokemon proceeded to fire an intense bullet-fire of Bullet Seed at the opposing Grimer, pushing them into Machoke's mighty Cross Chops and Dynamic Punches.

"Oh, I'm taking my revenge for this one!" Mawile got over her poisoning and launched herself at the last Muk remaining. She dodged a Poison Jab and leaped into the air, headbutting the sludge Pokemon with Iron Head. Mawile then followed up with a vicious Crunch, finishing off the Muk. Zach cut down the last Grimer with an electrified claw and the battle was over.

"Uwahh…! So strong!" One Grimer moaned in defeat, struggling to get up.

"Do you understand now Grimer and Muk? Have you come back to your senses?" Eliana asked and the Muk and Grimer looked around in confusion before collectively gasping.

"Wait… this isn't the summit right? This isn't our hooommmee…?" One Muk asked.

"No, it isn't. This is the summit. This isn't your home" Eliana replied decisively.

"But it's all grimy and dirty. It must be our home" A Grimer protested.

"Yes but… the summit hasn't been visited in so long that nobody has taken care of it" Eliana explained "I'm sorry, but this IS the summit"

"Really? Ooohhh noooo…" A Grimer threw his hands into the air dramatically.

"I understand why you think this is your home, but it isn't. Please go back to where you belong" the Shaymin pleaded.

"Oookkkay. Sorry Shaymin. We didn't notice this was the summit" A Muk apologized "We'll go back home now"

"Thank you" Eliana smiled "See you later!"

As the Grimer and Muk left, Eliana turned to us.

"We have to clean this place us and restore it to its former beauty" the Shaymin said "Now don't fret about it. I can do it myself"

"How? This place is so dirty already… How could you alone clean it up?" Mawile asked.

"We Shaymin have a special power to clean up land by absorb dirt and things" Eliana explained "Please stand back"

We and Team Frontier stood back as Eliana began glowing with green light, similar to went she unleashed Seed Flare. A wild circle of white energy whirled around the Shaymin, ripping wilted flowers out of the earth by the dozens. As Eliana was doing this, the grass on her back turned dark purple and the smog in the air slowly vanished.

"Get down please!" the Shaymin cried as circles of green light begun to glow bright around Eliana's body. We hit the ground and Shaymin unleashed a blinding flare of light. When the flash cleared, the field was completely transformed. Beautiful pink flowers covered the entire summit and the setting sun shined in the distance. The entire sky was lit orange from the sunset.

"This is the summit? It looks so different from what we saw before…" Mawile marvelled "It's amazing beautiful…"

"I've never seen anything so breathtaking before…" Breloom agreed.

"Welcome to the summit of Sky Peak!" Eliana congratulated.

"Woo hoo! We did it!" Henry cheered and Breloom joined along, pumping his fist into the air while laughing.

"Hey everyone! Look over here!" Aria called and we all joined the Dragonair at the cliffside overlooking the clouds. Below us, tall peaks pierced the clouds like pyramids and the sea of clouds rushed by like jetstream.

"So this is what they meant by Sky Peak's treasure being superior to all other treasure…" Mawile murmured "I'm speechless. I've never seen anything so…"

"Shaymin, thank you so much for guiding us up this mountain. It has been an amazing journey" Breloom grinned.

"It was my pleasure. I had a lot of fun guiding you up the mountain" Eliana smiled back, then turned to Zach "I'd like to ask you something Zach"

"Oh? What is it Eliana?"

"It was an incredible journey coming up Sky Peak with you three and I feel like I learned a lot. So… what do say to me joining Team Skylar?" Eliana asked shyly and all three of us nodded instantly.

"Looks like you're all in agreement. Congrats on joining an exploration team!" Machoke laughed.

"Once we head back down to the base, we'll bring you back to camp and introduce you to the others" Aria promised, then paused "... Wait, how will we get back down to the base?"

"Aah! We didn't plan a way to get back down the mountain!" Breloom cried "That means we have to…"

"Climb the mountain all the way down!" Mawile put her hands on her head and cursed "Ugh, stupid me…!"

"Ha ha, don't worry about that" Eliana laughed "I can bring you all back down to the base by myself"

"Huh? How could you do that?" Mawile asked, dumbfounded.

"Well first…" Eliana looked at Henry "Henry, are you strong enough to fly?"

"Of course I am! What do you want me to…" Henry paused, then nodded "Ohhh. I see what you're getting at. But I can only carry two Pokemon max on my back so I wouldn't crash"

"That's where I come in" Eliana touched a pink flower on the field and white light surrounded her briefly, transforming the small hedgehog into a white deer with a red flowing scarf. Eliana seemed to be levitating off the ground at all times in her new form.

"Wow…" Breloom was speechless "Are you always this adorable, Shaymin…?"

"In my Sky form, I can fly super fast and carry multiple Pokemon on my back" Eliana explained "I'll take Team Frontier and Henry, you can carry Team Skylar"

"Got it" Henry nodded and a few minutes later, we were soaring back down to Shaymin Village via Henry and Sky form Eliana. When we reached the village, Team Frontier thanked us for helping them climb the peak and said their farewells before leaving. Eliana took another one of those pink flowers with her before departing with us as well.

"Are you sure you're okay leaving Shaymin Village to be with us? This IS the place you've been raised for your whole life you know" Aria said and Eliana simply shook her head.

"I want to explore the world and see more than just Sky Peak and the village. Plus…" the Shaymin shifted a little closer to Zach "Exploring Sky Peak with you three was different than the rest. I feel that your team is something special and worth being in"

"Well, we don't know that, but we're happy you're with us" Zach smiled and glanced at the moon rising over the night sky "We should be back at camp in a few hours. Then we'll introduce you to everyone in the morning"

"Should be fun" Eliana nodded "Lead the way"

 _Our team:_

 _\- Zach, Luxray_

 _Level 53_

 _Moves: Thunder Fang, Crunch, Spark and Charge_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Henry, Staraptor_

 _Level 49  
_

 _Moves: Tackle, Wing Attack, Quick Attack and Close Combat_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Aria, Dragonair_

 _Level 47_

 _Moves: Dragon Pulse, Flamethrower, Dragon Rush and Agility_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Shaymin_

 _Level 54_

 _Moves: Energy Ball, Natural Gift, Aromatherapy and Synthesis_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **Sorry for taking so long on this chapter. Honestly, writing a 10 pass dungeon with half of it having the same enemy Pokemon is hard, tedious and mentally exhausting. Up next is the Blizzard Island arc where Team Skylar cross the sea to rescue the lost explorer Scizor. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	37. Chapter 35: Lost Explorer

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 35: Lost Explorer

A week after the Sky Peak craze was over, me and Priscilla visited Treasure Town to head to Wigglytuff's Guild and grab some missions. When we reached the crossroads however, Mr Mime stopped us.

"Oy, Silvin and Priscilla!" The mime Pokemon waved at us with his gloved hands "You're yet again today, are you?"

"Not exactly. We're just going to the guild to check for any missions we could do" Priscilla replied, but Mr Mime shook his head.

"Well, if you want something more exciting to do today, you could listen to me for a minute" Mr Mime offered. I looked at Priscilla and she nodded, clearly interested by what Mr Mime was about to say.

"Go ahead and tell us. We're all ears" I said.

"Good choice. So recently, I heard a tale about a famous explorer named Scizor. Many years ago, he travelled to a place called Blizzard Island" Mr Mime pointed to my treasure bag "Mind opening your Wonder Map for me?"

I spread out the Wonder Map and Mr Mime pointed to the southwest corner of the map, which was veiled in clouds "Over here is where Blizzard Island is. Scizor travelled there and never came back. Many exploration teams attempted a rescue, but Blizzard Island's cold climate turned them all away"

"So what are you getting at? Are you asking us to rescue Scizor?" Priscilla asked.

"Heavens no. I'm not asking you to do it" Mr Mime shrugged "I'm simply telling you this tale so you'll have something else to do today. You two saved the planet after all. I'm sure you're capable of rescuing Scizor"

"Sounds interesting. Maybe we can talk it over with the others back at camp" I told Priscilla and the Eevee nodded.

"Yeah, we'll think about it. Thanks for telling us Mr Mime" Priscilla smiled and Mr Mime waved us goodbye as we walked back to Lush Prairie.

"Blizzard Island? Sorry, but I don't feel like handling the cold again" Zach apologized "And this is coming from the person who was the most resistant to the cold on Sky Peak. Ask Henry, Aria or Eliana to go and you'll get the same response as me"

"Oh, alright. Guess we'll Zelot, Sara or Niko if they want to go" Priscilla stared at Blizzard Island on her map, nothing the three dungeons present on it: Blizzard Island, Crevice Cave and Mt Avalanche.

"If you want someone who can brave the cold, ask Ezra to come" Zach suggested "If you couldn't tell from appearances alone, Absols are covered in some pretty warm fur. The only challenge is pulling Ezra away from her work"

"Niko would be a good choice too, considering he's covered in electrically charged wool" I said, glancing at the Mareep reading a book on a stump "That reminds me. We have to visit Luminous Spring to get him evolved"

"So looks like we have the full team. Me, Silvin, Ezra and Niko" Priscilla summed up, then deadpanned "Wait a minute. Blizzard Island is all the way southwest, across the sea. How are we going to get there?"

"I don't know if Lapras would be willing to ferry us over there. He's just the guide to Hidden Land, right?" I wondered aloud.

"Perhaps, but maybe I could convince him" Priscilla stared at me "Okay, you'll go accompany Niko to Luminous Spring to have him evolve and I'll bring Zelot with me to Brine Cave to talk to Lapras"

"You still got your Relic Fragment?" I asked.

"Always" the Eevee opened her bag and as usual, the ghostly white rock fragment laid on the top "I hope we aren't bothering Lapras by resummoning him"

"... What does Lapras do aside from guiding people to Hidden Land?" Zach tilted his head, then shook it "I guess we won't know if we just stand around. I'll prepare supplies for your journey to Blizzard Island while you're gone"

"Thanks Zach. Ever reliable as always" Priscilla smiled and the Luxray grinned back "Alright, I'll go get Zelot. We'll rendezvous at base camp in two hours"

I watched the afternoon sun arc over the clear blue sky "I'll go get Niko. Oh, by the way Zach…"

"Yes? What is it Silvin?"

"Tell Ezra she's coming with us to Blizzard Island. Leader's orders" I said, glancing at the infirmary, where Ezra was brewing medicine as usual "If she resists, tell her a rare and exotic flower grows on Blizzard Island that can be crushed to make a cure for frostbite"

"... When did you learn that fact?"

"Priscilla just randomly dropped it while we were walking back. She's like that sometimes"

"Ah. I'll do that then. Be careful in Mystifying Forest" the Luxray nodded and ran off. I broke Niko out of his book and took him out of the camp towards Mystifying Forest.

…

"You know, Zach complained about Mystifying Forest being a miserable place for an Electric Pokemon, but I don't really see it" Niko noted as he fired a double-helix Signal Beam at a Grotle, taking it down "Maybe it's because I have this Signal Beam"

"That's definitely it" I nodded, slamming a Roselia with Force Palm. At the last second however, the Roselia extended a poisonous thorn and infected my hand "Zach had only Normal, Electric and Dark type moves and he says he dislikes chomping Pokemon to death with Crunch"

"That sounds like him" the Mareep stared at the thorn in my palm worriedly "Your wound is turning purple. You should treat that"

"Yeah, I was about to do that" With difficulty, I grabbed the thorn and ripped it out of my hand, letting out a painful yelp in the process. Niko tossed me a Heal Seed and a Oran Berry and a few 'seconds later, the poison in my palm healed along with the puncture wound closing "Damn, Grass types are annoying. Even when you kill them, they always get the last laugh"

"That's why you fire at them from a distance" Niko shot another Signal Beam at a Torterra, making it stumble back. The Mareep fired again and the continental Pokemon dropped like a stone.

"We should be near the spring now. I can hear the trinkle of water nearby" I said, cocking my head over to my right "Man, we should really find an easier way to get to the spring. Trekking through all of Mystifying Forest takes too long"

"To be fair, Priscilla and Zelot have to travel through all of Brine Cave to contact Lapras, so we're in no danger of running late" Niko reassured, then stared ahead as the trees broke into a sunlight clearing, with Luminous Spring sparkling ahead.

"Well, here we are" I carefully stepped over the fake grass tarp from the graduation exam as I walked towards the spring. I guess the guild kept the hole there for future graduation exams "Step under the beam of sunlight in the center of the spring and we should hear a voice"

"Alright then. Here I go" Niko waded into the spring, silently cursing that he'll have to wring the water out of his wool after he was done. He stepped under the sunlight beam and the familiar voice echoed through the clearing.

"Welcome to Luminous Spring. Do you wish to evolve?"

"Yes please" Niko nodded earnestly.

"Do you need an item to do so?"

"No, I don't"

"Very well then. Let us begin"

The beam of sunlight grew brighter, eventually forcing me to cover my eyes to avoid going blind. When the light and glare faded away, the Mareep was replaced by a tall, sheared sheep-like Pokemon on it's hind legs. Niko's entire body was golden yellow and two red orbs were on it, one on his forehead and the other on his tail. Both were pulsing with internal electricity.

"Wow… I look…" Niko came out of the spring and checked himself over in amazement.

"Adorable. Absolutely adorable" I smiled as I took in Niko's new form again. He had a white underbelly and several black stripes covered his neck, ears and tail. When Niko rose his tail, the red orb tipped on the end flared with a blinding light, bright enough to light the entire forest.

"What's the name of this Pokemon?" I asked Niko.

"Ampharos, the light Pokemon" Niko explained, pointing his flipper-like hand towards the clearing's entry path. A golden ball of electricity gathered on the tip and several bolts of electricity lanced forward. The lightning dissipated before it could make contact with a tree, but I knew it could do some serious damage against any living Pokemon "They say Ampharos's light is so bright that they are employed as lighthouses for sailors"

"I could see why" I blinked the black spots out of my eyes "Anyways, we should be making it back to camp. Maybe we can stop by Treasure Town to go to Electivire's Link Shop?"

"Huh? Why do we need to stop there?" Niko gave me a puzzled look.

"In addition to linking moves together, Electivire also knows every single move in existence along with every Pokemon's move learnset" I explained "For a small fee of 500 Poke, you can relearn all the moves you like"

"Oh, that'll be nice. I could use some more variety in my moveset" the Ampharos nodded "Okay, let's get a move on then"

…

"Huh, so the Relic Fragment Lapras signal still works" Priscilla noted as she watched the shining white beam of light fly across the sea at unreal speed "I would of thought Dialga disabled the fragment's power after Temporal Tower was restored"

"I suppose he kept the fragment and the wall pattern's power intact in case Temporal Tower needed saving again" Zelot tapped the glowing white pattern on Brine Cave's wall with his arm "After all, YOU are the chosen savior of Temporal Tower after all"

"You're making me out to be some sort of legendary hero" Priscilla shook her head modestly "Honestly, we only saved Temporal Tower thanks to Silvin and Grovyle"

"Silvin was right. We really DO need to fix that modesty of yours" Zelot smiled thinly "I wasn't there on the journey through Hidden Land, but I can tell from Silvin that you played a very pivotal and important role there. So quit doubting yourself alright?"

"Jeez, one remark about Silvin and Grovyle's bravery and I get a lecture? I should be careful of how I speak to you now Zelot" the Eevee giggled, then stared out the crevice leading out to sea "Anyway, I spot Lapras on the horizon. Let's have a good long chat with him, shall we?"

"Ferry you to Blizzard Island down south? Sure, I can do that" Lapras nodded as Priscilla rolled up her Wonder Map and stuffed it back into her bag.

"Really? What about the whole "guide to the Hidden Land" job you have?" Priscilla asked, playfully splashing water with her feet.

"Ever since you, Silvin and Grovyle saved Temporal Tower, there was no need for anyone to go to Hidden Land" Lapras explained "Therefore, there's no need for a guide. I'm free to do whatever I wish until crisis visits Temporal Tower again"

"Oh I see. Then can you take me, Silvin, Niko and Ezra over to Blizzard Island? We'll try to recruit a Water Pokemon there to ferry us back" Priscilla promised.

"I don't mind waiting for you to come back" Lapras smiled "I'm used to the cold waters around Blizzard Island, so don't worry about recruiting a Water Pokemon into your team. In fact, I'm happy to hang about Treasure Town to ferry you around the world whenever you wish"

"... Do you really have nothing else to do?" Zelot asked, surprised "Friends to visit? Family to be with? Dreams you want to achieve?"

"Truth be told, I was born into my role as the guide to Hidden Land" Lapras stared in the water solemnly "Because of the powers Dialga granted me, the other Pokemon in my hometown underwater shunned me. Perhaps they were scared of the powers they did not know"

"... That's awful. Why would they bully you like that…?" Priscilla murmured.

"But that is all in the past. My point is that now that I'm relieved of my duty to Dialga, I CAN do whatever I want. However, I don't know WHAT I want to do" Lapras continued "As such, I'm willing to do anything to pass the time. Hanging about Treasure Town sounds good to me"

"Well… whatever you say Lapras" Zelot shrugged "Perhaps there, you could meet some new friends and have something to do besides serving us and Dialga"

"Perhaps" Lapras smirked, then turned around, showing his shell to Priscilla and Zelot "Climb on. I'll take you back to coast nearby Serenity River. I'll meet you for departure at the beach"

"Sounds good. Thanks Lapras!" Priscilla and Zelot climbed onto Lapras's back and the transport Pokemon took off.

…

Two hours later, the four members of Team Skylar arrived at the beach, where Lapras was waiting.

"Ah, so this is the four visiting Blizzard Island?" Lapras turned around and waved his flipper in a approaching gesture "Come aboard. The Lapras Express is ready to depart"

"Let's see… wool scarves, five apples, five Oran Berries, five Max Elixirs, two of each utility seed, one of each utility orb and my Emit Ring and Valiant Rock" I said to myself as I double-checked my treasure bag "Well, Zach did preparations well. Does everyone else have their stuff?"

"I got everything you listed except I have a Perish Torc instead of your ring and rock" Ezra's eyes pointed to a sinister-looking black collar around her neck, which was ringed with silver skulls "Any foolish Pokemon that attacks me will suffer a timely demise"

"That's… horrifying. Don't use that in our sparring matches alright?" Priscilla eyed Ezra with an hint of newfound fear "Although you don't partake in sparring all that much, so I suppose I don't need to worry"

"I got my Sacred Scarf with me" Niko grinned when he pulled out his royal red scarf, buzzing with electricity "I think it allows me to absorb Ground type attacks, meaning my only weakness is covered"

"How do you simply "absorb" Ground type attacks with that scarf?" I wondered aloud.

"I don't know exactly. But maybe the magic flowing through the scarf acts like a lightning rod to the ground's energy" Niko shrugged "Could be more or less absurd than that, but I'm not sure"

"Guess we'll see for ourselves if we encounter a Mamoswine at Blizzard Island" Priscilla glanced at Lapras "How far are we at the moment?"

"It'll take another two hours and a half to reach Blizzard Island" Lapras informed "So I suggest all four of you to get some rest before setting foot. Blizzard Island is a land ravaged by snowstorms and blizzards after all"

"If you guys are feeling tired, then go ahead and sleep. We'll keep watch" I nodded to the ocean beside us "Wouldn't want any of us getting a faceful of saltwater when we wake up"

Lapras laughed "I remember you being concerned about this back on the trip to the Hidden Land. Don't worry. I have a psychic barrier around us that'll prevent us from falling into the water"

"That's another one of your powers granted by Dialga, right?" I asked as Priscilla laid down to sleep, using her treasure bag as a pillow.

"Yes. He granted me this power in case the journey to Hidden Land was filled with dangerous storms or raging sea currents" Lapras explained "This barrier is strong. It'll protect us against any form of weather damage, rogue Water type Pokemon and other threats"

"Impressive" I noticed Niko draping a yellow blanket over Priscilla and smiled at the Ampharos with gratitude "If I recall, Lapras don't have innate psychic powers right?"

"No, they don't. But we do have telepathy and the ability to mind read" Lapras suddenly spoke in my mind, startling me "You're thinking about how cute Priscilla looks when she's snoozing, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am" I put my mind on guard to prevent anymore intrusions. Even if I trusted Lapras, I didn't want him reading some of my darkest secrets and fantasies "So Dialga granted you latent psychic power when you became the guide to the Hidden Land"

"Yes" Lapras frowned, sensing my mental defenses has gone up "Other than the barrier, I've also been blessed with near unlimited stamina and something I like to call the "Negotiation" ability"

"Negotiation ability?"

"In short, it allows me to easily persuade wild Pokemon to back off and leave us alone" Lapras explained "Think of it like charmspeak. My voice can calm even the most wild of hearts and convince them to not attack us"

"That's an amazing power. Why didn't you come with us up to Temporal Tower to use that on Primal Dialga?" I asked.

"All power is given weaknesses to balance them out" Lapras replied "Upon receiving the negotiation ability, I lost almost all my strength in my moves and attacks. I can barely breathe out an Icy Wind, much less an Ice Beam now"

"Oh, I see. So you didn't come along with us because we would have to protect you the whole way up" I said.

"Yes. My negotiation ability doesn't work one hundred percent of the time" Lapras continued "So if it were to fail against Primal Dialga or any of the wild Pokemon on Hidden Land and Temporal Tower, we would be forced to fight and I'm no good at that"

"Alright. So I'm assuming you're not coming with us to Blizzard Island"

"Yes. I'll be waiting on the northeast shoreline for your return. Refer to the Wonder Map if you need directions"

"Okay. Now that that's settled, I'll be taking a nap. Niko, Ezra, wake me and Priscilla up when we reach the island" I nodded to the Ampharos and Absol as I set my treasure bag pillow beside Priscilla's and pulled a dark blue blanket from it. Draping it over myself, I snuggled close to Priscilla, earning me silenced giggles from Niko, Ezra and Lapras.

…

Two hours and a half later, Niko tapped me on the head with his flipper, telling me that we arrived at Blizzard Island. Pulling the blanket off of me, I stared at the approaching frigid island as I folded up the blue cloth and tucked it back in my bag.

"You should of woken them up earlier" Ezra grumbled as her horn glowed with pink psychic power. The Absol swung her head forward, sending a sharp wave of psychic energy that cleaved a large iceberg in two "They could of helped us break the ice and save PP"

"I only have Force Palm, Focus Punch, Dig and Bite. Unless I want to freeze to death by jumping into the water, I can't help here" I said and Priscilla nodded with agreement.

"I only got Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Quick Attack and Bite. I doubt miniature blades of air would help slice apart glaciers" Priscilla continued "Sorry Ezra. But I can't help if I don't have the tools"

The Absol sighed "Don't you have any Blast Seeds? I'm sure a few explosions can help crack the ice"

I shook my head "Fresh out of Blast Seeds. Those things aren't useful in combat anymore as of late"

"Enemy Pokemon have been growing a lot tougher ever since the restoration of Temporal Tower. I heard they know how to use items of all things" Priscilla added "So no surprise they gained some resistance to the Blast Seed along with the Sleep Seed"

"It's okay that you couldn't help" Niko interrupted "Because we arrived. Welcome to Blizzard Island. Bundle up before you set foot"

Up ahead, Blizzard Island was a large oval-like island with snow and frost curling off the edges. Several mountains clustered in the middle of the island, the tallest peak being Mt Avalanche and the second tallest being Crevice Cave. Our goal was to explore Blizzard Island and make it to the lowest floor of Crevice Cave, where Scizor MIGHT be hidden at. Aria suspected he was frozen solid for preservation. What creature wanted to do with a preserved Scizor, I didn't want to know.

"I'll be waiting at this shoreline for your return" Lapras informed as we got off the transport Pokemon and set foot on Blizzard Island "Do you have any flares with you?"

"Yep" Priscilla produced a small container that held a swirling inferno inside. It was a condensed Fire Blast that was meant to be fired into the air to alert others of your location, but it made for a good weapon as well.

"Good. If you need to find me, shoot up the flare and I'll respond with a Perish Song. Since it's not directed at you, it won't harm you. I promise" Lapras assured "Follow my voice back here and alert me of your presence. Though it's not directed at you, if you get too close, the Perish Song WILL kill you"

Ending on that happy note, Lapras bid farewell to us and we set off through the snowy tundra. Blizzard Island was filled by primarily Water type Pokemon, contrary to its name. We met Piplup, Golduck, Azumarill and Marill throughout the cold wastelands, all of which made us glad we didn't bring Fire types here. They would get doused real quick.

"You know, I'm surprised by the lack of Ice type Pokemon here" Niko glanced at a Delibird flying overhead. Before it could drop its explosive present, Niko thrust his flipper hand into the air and a single lightning strike turned Delibird into fried chicken. Delibird's present fell along with it and upon contact on the ground, it blew up, leaving a small crater on the island.

"I can never predict what Delibird's Present does" Ezra muttered as she clashed horn to claw with a Vigoroth before landing a vicious killing blow to wild monkey Pokemon "Sometimes, they create explosions like that or they heal my injuries"

"It's random" Priscilla explained, using Wide Slash to destroy a Nosepass's Rock Blast "Delibird's signature move, Present deals a varying amount of damage or outright heals its target. Very, very unpredictable"

"Unpredictable indeed" I agreed, spotting a Delibird stalk me from behind a pile of snow. The deliverer Pokemon threw his red-wrapped present as me and I intercepted it with an Iron Thorn. The moment my Iron Thorn sliced through the crimson packaging, a huge explosion shook the snow off the pine trees and knocked me to the ground.

"Silvin, are you alright?" Priscilla helped me out of the snow and gently checked my body over for wounds. The explosion from the Present attack hurt like hell, but it wasn't enough to deal major damage. It would be best if I dealt with the Delibird from a distance, unless I wanted a megaton explosion up my nose.

"I'm fine Priscilla. No need to worry" I reassured the Eevee, rubbing the snow off my arms "We should leave the Delibirds to Niko. He's the best ranged attacker in our group"

"Yeah, I agree. None of us want an explosion like that to the face" Priscilla glanced over to Ezra worriedly, who was dueling with a Piloswine, horn to tusks "Keep them far away from Ezra. Me and you have ranged attacks in the form of Iron Thorns and Vacuum Cut, but Ezra likes to get up close and personal. She'll die if a Present of that magnitude hit her"

"I think she already knows" I pointed to the Absol up ahead. Whenever a Delibird approached her or threw a Present from hiding, Ezra would destroy it from a distance with Psycho Cut. I never talked to her much, but she was just as smart as the others make her out to be.

"How far are we from Crevice Cave at the moment?" Niko asked as he jogged towards us to catch up. He was caught up in a swarm of Golduck not too long ago.

"Let's see… Crevice Cave is in between Mt Avalanche and the unnamed mountain beside us" Priscilla produced her Wonder Map out of her treasure bag and pointed to the snowy hillside "We're getting close to the western shoreline, near the tip of a peninsula. Once we make our way around the mountain, we'll be right at Crevice Cave"

"Okay, good to know" Niko nodded, then stared up the mountain beside him "Are you sure Scizor is being held here? You said he went missing many years ago. Unless he found a way to survive, he would be dead now"

"We don't always explore a place with purpose" I replied, tugging at the dark blue scarf Priscilla wrapped around me "Sometimes, we explore a dungeon for the sake of exploring. Treasure, adventure and experience. Those are the three things explorers always look for in a dungeon"

"I suppose" Niko rubbed the ground with his feet "What treasure do you think is around here?"

"Have you guys ever heard of the fabled "Seven Treasures"?" Priscilla asked. I looked at her dumbfounded, but Niko nodded.

"I heard about it. Seven legendary instruments scattered across the world. Apparently, each treasure represents a certain type" Niko tilted his head "Let's see… we got the Terra Cymbal, the Fiery Drum, the Icy Flute, the Aqua Monica, the Rock Horn, the Grass Cornet and the Sky Melodica"

"Legendary… instruments…?" I repeated.

"Yeah, it's a little odd" Priscilla scratched the back of her head "But apparently, each treasure represents a certain type. If the instrument is played, every Pokemon of that type in the nearby vicinity will find their hearts calmed and their minds eased instantly"

"Interesting. So based on the names, the Seven Treasures are instruments for Ground, Fire, Ice, Water, Rock, Grass and Flying type Pokemon?" I guessed "Shame they isn't an instrument for every type"

"I guess the creators liked the idea of seven treasures" Niko shrugged ""Seventeen Treasures" doesn't roll off the tongue as well"

"What does this have to do with Niko's question?" Ezra interrupted, startling me, Niko and Priscilla. The Absol was suddenly beside the Ampharos, like she teleported through the shadows.

"E-Ezra! Don't startle us like that!" Priscilla's expression turned to steel at Ezra's sudden appearance "But anyways, I brought up the Seven Treasures because one is rumored to be residing on the summit of Mt Avalanche. The Icy Flute, to be exact"

"If you want to continue going to Crevice Cave, we'll obey" Niko told me "Or we can detour to Mt Avalanche and attempt to find the Icy Flute"

"Only Priscilla has the power to argue with you, seeing as she's co-leader" Ezra agreed.

I turned to Priscilla.

"I say we stay on our current path into Crevice Cave. We're already tiring ourselves moving through the island's border, so we'll be in no shape to climb Mt Avalanche" The Eevee explained "If we return next time, we can scale the mountain at full energy from the shoreline we came from"

"I agree completely. Let's stick to Crevice Cave" I nodded, then looked ahead as the twin mountain's shadows loomed over us "There's a cave entrance up ahead. You think that's Crevice Cave?"

"Definitely. We just passed the peninsula and Crevice Cave is right in between these two mountains" Priscilla nodded "We're here"

"Alright everyone, let's take a break and then we'll continue on into Crevice Cave" I said, but Ezra interrupted me.

"No, we can't rest. We need to go in now" the Absol intoned darkly.

"Why Ezra? Is something wrong?" Priscilla asked, fear creeping into her voice.

"I am an Absol, known as the Disaster Pokemon. I can detect when disasters are about to happen" Ezra closed her eyes and her ghastly white fur bristled in the cold wind "A powerful snow storm is about to come down. If we don't hurry into Crevice Cave fast, we'll find ourselves quickly buried by snow"

"It's too late to make it back to Lapras. Let's take Ezra's word for true and move into Crevice Cave" Priscilla said and we quickly moved into the icy cave. Just like Ezra predicted, a powerful blizzard came down onto the island, quickly covering the ground in a tall sheet of snow.

"How do you think we'll get out?" I asked. My voice echoed in the empty cavern.

"You have Dig. We can just dig our way out of the cave once we need to leave" Priscilla reminded me "Or is the icy floor of this cave too much for my strong, little Silvin?"

"Oh please, you know my strength" I played along with Priscilla's little teasing. It helped ease my worry that we could be trapped in this cave until the snow melted outside. An Escape Orb wouldn't work, since it'll teleport us right into eight feet of snow, so I guess Dig was the only option.

"Welp, let's hope we find something of value here. I wouldn't want to be trapped with nothing to go home with" Niko summoned an orb of electricity with a flick of his flipper hand "Into Crevice Cave we go"

 **Sorry for delaying this for so long. End-semester exams and general laziness of summer break got the better of me. I've also been playing Pokemon Conquest, Black 2, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow and Maplestory, compounding more things to obstruct my writing time. Sorry about that. Coming next is Team Skylar's continued journey into Crevice Cave, in search of the lost explorer Scizor. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time! (And hopefully not too long later)**


	38. Chapter 36: Sorceress of Ice

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 36: Sorceress of Ice

Crevice Cave was beautiful in a dark and creepy way. The ice crystals dotting the cavern acted like mirrors, reflecting our reflection when we passed by them. Because we were all so cautious and wary of enemies, the ice mirrors caused a little more than one accidents which ended with the crystal being shattered.

"You know, it'll be funny if these ice crystals reflected special attacks like this Mirror Shield does in "The Guardian Angel"" Priscilla commented as we passed by a whole room of crystals that made me woozy with all the reflections "Like if you breathed a Flamethrower on a crystal, it'll bounce back at you"

"Any special attack other than Flamethrower and Fire Blast would be better for this theory" I replied dryly "After all, these are still made of ice"

"No better time than now to try" The Eevee faced the closest sheet of reflective ice next to her and shot a single blade of wind via Vacuum Cut at it. The sharp gale cleanly sliced the sheet of ice in two, much to Priscilla's disappointment.

"They would of made excellent protective devices if they worked like I thought" Priscilla sighed "Although it could be possible with a bit of magic…"

"It'll take a lot of time, resources and spellbinding magic to make a Mirror Shield like you said" Ezra commented as she carefully stepped over a sharp spire of ice "You'll need to absorb the magical power away from a Mirror Coat, change the nature of the move so it only reflects special attacks and bind the magic onto a shield made of a certain material to stabilize the energy"

"That's… a lot of requirements" Priscilla replied uneasily "So I guess it'll be inconsiderate to ask if you can make one, considering your knowledge"

"No" The Absol shook her head "I mainly make medicine and do alchemy. I'm no blacksmith. If you want your mirror shield, you have to seek out a highly experienced smith"

"That reminds me of that story you told me once" I said to Priscilla "About that blacksmith Machamp who made boomerang throwing axes and javelins for the humans?"

""The Demon Dragon and the Radiant Blade"" Priscilla nodded "It was a story about how humans and Pokemon work together to conquer an oppressive kingdom bent on world domination. An incredible tale, to be honest"

After that, we continued moving forward silently. We didn't encounter too many wild Pokemon, since they were likely hibernating and waiting for the snowstorm to pass. What Pokemon we did encounter were usually Jynx, Zangoose, Prinplup, Vigoroth, Weavile and Altaria strangely enough.

"How can a flying dragon covered in cotton fur survive in a place like this?" Niko watched an Altaria soar high overhead. The ceiling of Crevice Cave was tall and covered in sharp icicles. A minor tremor would send a hailstorm of lethal ice falling on top of us.

"Maybe the cotton fur is keeping them warm" Priscilla dodged a Sneasel's Slash and sent it flying into a wall with Quick Attack "Don't ask me how they handle all the Ice-type Pokemon around here though"

"If I were them, I would get out of here the first chance I get" I commented, taking down a Nosepass with Force Palm before it could call down Rock Slide "Even if they could evade all the Ice types prowling around, I doubt eating any of them would do well for their bloodstream, considering how weak they are to ice"

"Yeah, I understand that" Niko watched an Altaria notice us and began to swoop down to attack. The Ampharos simply held out his hand towards it and an intense rush of lightning shot out, blasting the Altaria out of the air and sent it sprawling to the ground. Unfortunately, the dead Altaria tumbled nearby a sleeping Slaking, who rolled over and snored with great magnitude. Even the enemy Pokemon stopped attacking when they saw the Slaking. All of them glanced up and saw the icicles on the ceiling shake every time Slaking snored.

"Everyone step away and retreat quietly" Priscilla whispered to all the attacking Pokemon around us "If you don't want to be speared by a giant icicle, leave. Now"

All the enemy Pokemon retreated back to their caves and chambers in the darkness, leaving us alone with the snoring Slaking and several bloody carcasses of Pokemon.

"He's blocking the stairs to the next floor" Ezra hissed in annoyance "We have to fight him if we want to pass"

"But I heard Slaking is really strong. Among one of the strongest Pokemon in the world" Niko said uneasily "If it wasn't so lazy, it could of dominated the earth easily"

"Maybe we can exploit that laziness. We can try to push him off the stairs so we can pass without him noticing us" Priscilla suggested.

"Even with all of us pushing, I doubt it'll work" I replied, noting Slaking's extreme body fat and bulkiness. I doubted Niko's word on it being able to conquer the world on its own.

"Slaking weighs 287.7 Ibs. It would be impossible to move it without him noticing us" Ezra pursed her lips "We can TRY to kill it before it wakes up if all four of us gang up on it"

"Actually, I know the perfect way to get rid of it" I opened my bag and pulled out a Violent Seed.

"Focus Punch?" Priscilla smiled darkly.

"Focus Punch" I nodded and chucked down the seed, feeling its powerful effects coarse through my arms and mind instantly "Get ready to back me up in case Slaking survives this"

I approached the sleeping giant with Ezra, Niko and Priscilla behind me. I raised my arm and orange light began gathering in my fist, burning like fire. Before I could strike, the Slaking rolled over and nearly flattened me, forcing me to back away. When he landed on his back however, the force was enough to shake the ground.

"Silvin, back away!" Ezra grabbed me and pulled me back as a large icicle fell from the ceiling and crashed on the icy floor, shattering into dozens of pieces.

"Oh no. Oh no, no, no…" Niko stared in horror as the Slaking opened his eyes with a grunt and stood up, eyeing us with infernal anger in his pupils.

"RAAAHHHH! WHO DISTURBED ME FROM MY SLEEP?!" The Slaking roared, balling his hands into fists.

"I'll distract him! Everyone, go to the stairs!" I yelled and Slaking attacked, throwing down a earth shattering punch with Hammer Arm. I dodged and jumped on the beast's arm, but more icicles began shaking and falling from the ceiling. I climbed up the Slaking's arm and released my Focus Punch onto his skull, knocking down the giant hard. However, he survived much to my surprise and backhanded me towards the wall. I wanted to get up and continue my attack, but more and more icicles were falling from the ceiling and crashing on the floor. I had to leave now.

"Sorry to cut out duel short, but I gotta go" I bolted to the stairs leading down, but Slaking stopped me.

"Those icicles won't kill me, but they'll kill you! If you want to leave, you gotta get past me!" Slaking intoned and attacked with Brick Break, cracking a large dent in the ice wall. I darted around the ape Pokemon towards the stairs, but another crystal collapsed from the ceiling and shattered right in front of me, peppering me with icy shrapnel.

"One last trick, you puny brat!" The Slaking jumped and slammed the ground with his two feet, causing a shock wave with Earthquake. The tremor Slaking caused made all the crystals on the ceiling fall down at once. If I didn't make it to the stairs now, it wouldn't be long before an icicle impales me. Before I could escape though, Slaking grabbed my leg and held me high in the air.

"Food!" The Pokemon roared and his gaping maw approached my foot.

"Get your hands off him, you stupid ape!" Priscilla suddenly appeared atop the stairs and threw a Stun Seed into Slaking's chest, forcing him to drop me "Come on Silvin! Let's go!"

I ran down the stairs as fast as I could just as the last of the icicles dropped and Slaking buried under the debris with a great roar.

"That was close…" I breathed hard as me and Priscilla descended down the steps into the 4th underground floor "I can still feel his rotten teeth chewing at my foot"

"Luckily I saved you before that happened" Priscilla kissed me on my cheek "Next time, don't take something you can't handle on your own. We're here for you. I'm here for you, my lovely Riolu"

"Me too Priscilla. That's why we depend on each other so much, don't we?" I laughed lightly "Where's Ezra and Niko?"

"Up ahead. I was worried when you didn't come down right away, so I doubled back to find you" The Eevee replied, glancing around the cavern "Niko left an electric orb around here that should guide us back… Oh, here it is"

I followed Priscilla's gaze to a golden sparkling sphere of electricity nearby, which lit up when me and Priscilla got close. It sparked lightning excitingly, then zoomed off towards a pathway on the left. Me and Priscilla had to run to catch up with it.

"Niko! Tell your electric orb to slow down!" I yelled and Priscilla clamped my mouth with her paw, hissing in annoyance.

"Keep your mouth shut, idiot" The Eevee growled "We wouldn't want to wake up another Slaking"

Immediately, I regretted shouting and nodded in understanding. Priscilla released her hold on my mouth just as the electric orb slowed down and we caught up with Niko and Ezra.

"Oh, you made it!" Niko grinned with relief "I heard the sound of icicles crashing and a loud roar. I was afraid you died Silvin"

"I've taken tougher foes. Don't worry about it" I shrugged and Priscilla sighed "Anyway, what did we stop for?"

"A hermit lives here and his house has the staircase down" Ezra replied, cocking her head at the door made of ice in front of her "He says he wants to challenge us to a duel before allowing us passage"

I groaned "What Pokemon is he anyways?"

"An Empoleon. My name is Rudol, travelers" The icy door swung open and an Empoleon strode out, looking stern, powerful, focused and wise "I am the guardsman of the fifth floor of Crevice Cave, which serves as a checkpoint in this cavern. Defeat me in a battle and you may pass"

"Why are you doing this? Were you assigned to it by the boss or lord of this cave?" I asked and Rudol laughed a rich baritone laugh.

"Lord of this cave? Boy, this is no kingdom" Rudol crossed his flippers over his chest "I simply guard this checkpoint out of amusement. Many come here to rest before moving on, yes? That means many Pokemon for me to fight and increase my strength"

"So you enjoy battle simply for the fun of it? Not for absorbing their power or something twisted like that?" Priscilla asked.

"Simply that, lass. Battle is exercise and exercise allows for greater power. Power means you can protect the ones you love, right? So fight me and prove your strength. All four of you against me" The Empoleon turned his back on us and went into his house "Follow me. We need a better place to fight than here"

Seeing no other choice, all of us nodded and followed the Empoleon inside. Rudol's home was beautiful with all the ice furniture. A crystal clear chandelier had cold, sky blue flames providing light for the house and the entire floor was made of ice covered by a thin layer of snow, making it non-slippery. Rudol headed towards the back door, which was at the end of a narrow hallway with ice walls carved like wood.

"So all four of us against him? Doesn't sound too hard" Priscilla whispered to me as Rudol pushed open the door leading to his training yard "Especially since we have you and Niko with the type advantage"

"Don't get too confident. The fact he challenged all four of us at once means he's very sure about his abilities" I replied "Either that or he's very stupid"

"Let's hope he's the latter. I want to get out of here as fast as possible" Priscilla shivered at the cold air rushing through the cavern "It's f-freezing here…"

"No kidding. Let's wrap this one up quick so we can continue going" I agreed and we stepped out to the dueling grounds, which had beautiful and timeless ice sculptures lining the perimeter. For all Rudol's love of battle, he definitely had an eye for art.

"I make sculptures of every warrior that fights me" Rudol caught my gaze as he turned to face us four "If they defeat me, I make a sculpture of them in honor of their strength. If they gave me a good fight, but lost, I create a sculpture as a reminder to visit them sometime in the future for another duel. If they lost without putting any effort, well…"

Rudol gestured to some sculptures to his left, which had Pokemon frozen in expressions of horror "I depict them as sculptures for training purposes. It's the worse I could give them honestly"

We said nothing as the Empoleon fired a powerful blast of Water Pulse at five ice models and they broke into shards instantly "So let's see how your four do. Can you prove your power today or leave Blizzard Island in shame? Let's find out. Begin!"

Immediately, the Empoleon rushed towards me with an Aqua Jet, fins spread outwards with Metal Claw. While the others jumped out of the way, I held out my palms in front of me, meeting Rudol's attack with Force Palm. To my surprise, the Empoleon's Aqua Jet blasted right through my Force Palm and sent me rolling on the icy floor. I got up just as the others attacked Rudol from behind, Ezra and Priscilla distracting him with their physical attacks while Niko fired Thunderbolts from behind.

"You can do better than that!" Rudol swung his Metal Claw down onto Ezra and Priscilla, then formed a shield of ice to block Niko's Thunderbolt. The Empoleon ravaged forward with Aqua Jet instantly after, blasting aside the Absol and Eevee and heading straight for Niko.

"Niko! Move out of the way!" I yelled, but the Ampharos stood firm as his flipper glowed with electricity. Just as Rudol collided into Niko with Aqua Jet, the Ampharos slammed his face with Thunder Punch, sending him flying through the air. Rudol landed on his feet however, not even winded.

"Impressive. You actually managed to deal a heavy blow to me" Rudol praised as blood trailed down his mouth and onto his bulky chest "That means you're serious and I like it that way. Let's continue!"

Rudol breathed frigid cold air around him and all us backed away until the Empoleon emerged with a giant ice shield and lance. I realized that his Aqua Jets were even more deadly now since he can either shield bash us with his shield or impale us with his lance at unpredictable speed. We needed to end this now before he could get off too many attacks.

"Niko! Thunder Wave!" I called and the Ampharos discharged a wave of electricity straight towards Rudol, who blocked the Thunder Wave with his shield. To his surprise however, the shield began pulsing with intense voltage after absorbing the Thunder Wave and he was forced to drop it. Realizing he couldn't let Niko fire another Thunder Wave, he rocketed forward with Aqua Jet, lance first. However, Ezra jumped in front of the Ampharos and shielded both of them with Detect. Rudol slammed into Ezra's shield with great force, but couldn't break through and bounced off, regaining his footing.

"Rudol stop!" Priscilla yelled and pointed to something above the Empoleon's head "What's that number on your head?"

Following the Eevee's gaze, I saw a jagged blood red 3 above Rudol's head. When it counted down to 2, the gravity around us felt much more heavier and darker instantly. I glanced at Ezra, who's Perish Torc was glowing an ominous red hue.

"This is… Perish Song!" Rudol realized, then dropped his weapon "Miss Absol, I beg of you to release the curse. I surrender and will let you pass, but please! Do not take my life this way!"

"Based on his personality and actions, I know he'll hold to his promise" Niko goaded "Please Ezra. Don't take the life of an honorable warrior this way"

"Mmm" Ezra flicked her claw at Rudol and the sinister digit disappeared from his head. Emotionless as usual.

"Thank you so much for that" The Empoleon bowed with respect "I'm upset that our duel was cut short, but I'll hold to my word. You're allowed to pass through here and continue on. The stairs leading down are in my front foyer, nearby the front door. Fare thee well, travelers!"

Rudol waved us goodbye as we went back into his house and found the stairs leading down to the fifth floor, which was a checkpoint just like Rudol said.

"What a strange person. A man who lives for the enjoyment of battle and is honorable, straightforward and honest" I said as we sat down on the cold floor for some rest "It's funny how much you can figure out about a person just by fighting them"

"I heard a saying once: The best way to know a person is through fighting. Through battle, you get to understand not just your opponent's techniques, but also their personalities and upbringing" Priscilla said as she opened her treasure bag and crunched on an apple.

"Well, guess I saw that firsthand in this fight. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like we'll meet again very soon" Niko flicked his hand and another electric orb came to life "Did any of you guys feel a sort of lonely aura from him as well?"

Ezra nodded "He definitely excluded an aura of solitude. Tis but the life of a hermit though. I doubt we could of changed it"

"Perhaps. I just hope he finds a friend soon to keep him company" Priscilla glanced towards the path leading deeper into the cavern "Anyway, I'd say we had enough rest. Let's move on"

Moving deeper into Crevice Cave made the cave less beautiful and more scary. Howling winds roared through the air, freezing us to our bones and scaring us out of our wits. Every footstep was loud and clear, meaning we had no protection from stealth. Even if we so much as whispered to comfort each other, our voices bounces off the walls and echoed through the entire floor, making us known to the enemy.

"It has been a while since travellers have come this far" An unseen voice echoed through the cave, freezing all of us in our tracks.

"Who's… who's there…?!" Priscilla called, in a shaky attempt to be brave.

The voice laughed. It was feminine with an icy tone to it.

"I am simply known as the Sorceress of Ice. Or the Frost Witch. I go by many names" The voice said "The only other Pokemon who got past Rudol was a meddlesome Scizor and I froze him instantly! What will you do, travelers? Will you walk to the same fate as this Scizor, who was frozen solid for fifteen years? This is your only warning"

I felt a presence disappear as the voice faded away.

"Now that we know Scizor is here, we have to press forward to the end" I decided and Priscilla gasped.

"Silvin! She said she froze Scizor instantly! What chance do we have against her if she can incapacitate a legendary explorer so easily?" The Eevee cried "Let's turn back and leave everyone. We can't continue like this"

"Priscilla, we took on Primal Dialga and the Guild and lived. A sorceress who claims to be able to instantly freeze someone is no stronger than a wild god of time" I reasoned and Priscilla sighed.

"Can you please stop using Primal Dialga as a reason for your reckless behavior?!" The Eevee yelled, rage fueling her voice with power "Don't you remember? We nearly died fighting him! We'll never be so lucky again if we fight someone as deadly as him!"

"Guys, guy, break it up please" Niko stood in between us "I agree with Silvin that we should continue forward to rescue Scizor because I have a plan"

"You do? Please tell us" Priscilla's anger partially deflated, but she still shot me a withering glare, much to my sorrow "Tell me how to make Silvin's recklessness safe"

"Okay, you know how electricity generates heat?" Niko gestured with his hand, bringing his electric orb close to us. I could feel heat radiating off it when I got close. "I could sustain an electrical barrier around us to keep us safe from this witch's ice attacks. That'll allow us to get in close for Silvin to nail her down with his Fighting type attacks"

"Good plan. I'll forgive your ridiculously suicidal behavior for now" Priscilla's anger drained away and she took my hand "Sorry about that angry outburst. I just didn't want any of us risking death"

"I understand how you think, but we can't leave Scizor frozen here" I clutched the Eevee's paw, feeling her warmth coarse through my body "Besides, Niko and Ezra can keep us safe. What was that barrier that shielded you from Rudol, Ezra?"

"Detect. It's a Fighting type version of the move Protect" The Absol explained as she glanced around carefully for enemy Pokemon "I can use it to automatically evade a foe's move or form a impenetrable barrier. However, using it extensively can cause the move to fail, so I can only use it sparingly"

"How long can you keep it up for?" I asked.

"Mm… ten seconds at most and then the shield runs the risk of exploding" Ezra replied while tilting her head in deep thought "We should stick with Niko's electrical barrier and I'll only use Detect if this witch begins to overwhelm him"

"Alright then, at least we got a plan now" Priscilla stared ahead "Now we just need to get to the end. I'm assuming that's where this witch has Scizor frozen"

After ten floors of freezing cold air, dozens of enemy Ice types, a run in with a fearsome Mamoswine and a brawl with a herd of Zangoose, we finally arrived at the bottom floor of the cave. Up ahead was a crimson red Scizor frozen in a block of ice.

"There he is!" Priscilla glanced around the empty floor, but nobody was around "How are we going to defrost him though?"

"You won't be defrosting him. Because I'll freeze all of you solid first!" The same female voice called loud and clear throughout the floor. I looked up and all around us, but nobody was there.

"Show yourself! Are you this sorceress of ice we heard about?!" I yelled into the cold air and the voice laughed.

"So you didn't turn back after my warning! You're really hell-bent on saving this Scizor, aren't you?" Icy mist conjured in front of the frozen Scizor and formed a Pokemon wearing a ghastly white and blue kimono-like dress. It's face was covered by a mask made of sparkling ice, leaving only her mouth and eyes visible.

Priscilla gasped beside me "So the ice witch was a Froslass!"

"Ha ha ha!" The Froslass rose her arms into the air and conjured a miniature blizzard in her hands "So you recognize me. That means you know what I'm capable of, right?"

"Everyone, Froslass's breath is lethally cold at -60 degrees fahrenheit and she adores freezing the bodies of men and eating their souls" Priscilla warned us "Niko and Silvin, I'd advise you to steer clear and attack from a distance"

Froslass laughed again "Don't think my freezing ability applies only at close range. I froze this Scizor solid before he could even rush with Bullet Punch after all"

"Enough talking. Let's get this over and done with" I cocked my head to Niko "Niko, now's the time"

The Ampharos nodded and his tail glowed bright red. It sparked with golden electricity and suddenly, a wide barrier was around us. Froslass thrust her hand into the air and hail began falling from the sky. Priscilla's Prism Ruff plus Niko's electrical barrier fried or bounced the hailstones away, keeping us safe.

"I didn't use Hail for the purpose you think I did" Froslass shot us a devilish smile, then thrust her hand at us "Blizzard!"

A furious whirlwind of ice, snow and sleet whipped up in front of us, hammering Niko's barrier relentlessly. The Ampharos struggled to maintain the shield while we advanced forward slowly through the sorceress. Meanwhile, Froslass was whipping up more ice tornadoes, making Niko's job of protecting us incredibly hard. Priscilla tried throwing a Stun Seed at the witch to subdue her, but the seed flew away harmlessly in the raging winds.

"Shadow Ball!" Froslass put both hands in front of her and fired volley after volley of Shadow Balls, which crashed against Niko's barrier, weakening it down even more. Priscilla forcefully fed an Oran Berry into Niko's mouth to maintain the barrier as we got closer. Finally, we were face to face with Froslass, but before we could make a move to attack, the witch smiled at me darkly.

"Come here, little boy" Froslass rushed inside our barrier with surprising speed, showing no pain from the electricity. She grabbed me by the face and crushed her lips against mine, locking me in the kiss. I felt my energy drain away instantly and when she let go, I fell to the ground, unable to even pull myself up.

"What in the- How dare you!" Priscilla bashed into Froslass in a burst of fury, but forget she was a Ghost type. The Eevee passed through Froslass harmlessly and landed behind her with an angry growl. Before she could decide her next move, Froslass slapped Priscilla across the face with Wake Up Slap, leaving her staggering away.

"Don't leave your back so open like that, witch" Ezra's horn slashed twice at Froslass's back with Night Slash, marking two bloody cuts on the ghost's body. Froslass attempted to retreat, but Ezra headbutted her with Pursuit, sending her to the ground.

"Such a naughty girl, hitting an old woman like that" Froslass felt her wounds, then brought her bloody fingers up to her mouth, tasting her own blood "You deserve to be punished"

Froslass dashed inside the barrier again and slapped Niko in the face, knocking him to the ground. The electric barrier dissolved and the blizzards raging around us struck us from all directions, slicing apart our skin. Priscilla attempted to sneak attack Froslass from behind with a Stun Seed, but the witch backhanded it and it exploded in the Eevee's face, leaving her dizzy and cross-eyed.

"This is between me and the Absol woman. Stay out of this, girl" Froslass touched Priscilla's cheek briefly before knocking her out cold with Wake Up Slap again. Now, only Ezra was left standing against Froslass. Her white fur was covered in snow, but it protected Ezra against the blizzards roaring all over the floor.

"Why do you stay with worthless company like this?" Froslass kicked at my listless body "You could of become something more. Something powerful. A sorceress to rival no other!"

Ezra simply glared and stepped forward, her horn glowing with purple light.

"Why would you refuse such power? The power to make slaves out of men, ones who has shunned us for centuries!" Froslass slowly backed away from Ezra's approaching horn "The power to rule over others is something no person can refuse, yes?"

"I have no desire to rule, nor to turn men into my servants" Ezra replied coldly "The prejudice of male Pokemon to female Pokemon has long since past. Dwell in the pool of the past too long and you'll find yourself unable to escape it"

"Then what do you want? Say anything and I'll grant it, only if you spare me" Froslass pleaded, pressing her back against the cavern wall.

Ezra finally came face to face with the witch "Nothing. I only want to be a simple alchemist, living my days in peace. My companions, as idealistic and foolishly bright they may be, are still my friends. I want nothing less than to be with them"

"That is your answer?"

"Yes" Ezra swung her horn down at Froslass, but suddenly felt a cold sensation on it. She looked up and saw the sorceress holding her horn in place, frost spreading rapidly. Blood gushed slowly from Froslass's hand, as Ezra gorged it into her palm, but she didn't look fazed in the slightest. The Absol tried to rip her horn away from Froslass's icy touch, but the sorceress fired Ice Beam at Ezra's face, freezing her solid.

"Ezra!" I tried to get up and move, but all my energy was drained when Froslass kissed me. I could barely crawl, much less get up and attack.

"Well, that was unfortunate" Froslass removed her bleeding palm from Ezra's horn and pointed to the three of us sprawled on the ground "And now for the rest of you"

The blizzard grew stronger instantly and within a second, I found myself encased in a cube of ice, just like Scizor was. Beside me, Priscilla and Niko were also in ice cubes.

"Well, I was hoping to have better company than you five" Froslass sighed as she tapped each of our ice cubes playfully "But this will have to do. Fame will ride behind me as soon as everyone finds out that the great sorceress Froslass has defeated the legendary explorer Scizor and saviors of the world, Silvin and Priscilla. Ha ha ha!"

"And fame will ride behind me, as the man who defeated the "great" sorceress Froslass!" A new and familiar voice entered the cavern.

Froslass gasped and glared at the new entry "Who are you, vermin?!"

"You already know me. I am Rudol, warrior of Crevice Cave and guardsman of the fifth floor" The Empoleon glared back at Froslass "These explorers, while defeating me through a luck-based tactic, showed great potential and power. I cannot let their effort go to waste today"

Froslass laughed "Four against me wasn't enough to bring me down and you think you can take me solo? What a joke!"

Rudol simply smiled "We'll see about that. Begin!"

The Empoleon rocketed towards Froslass with Aqua Jet just as the witch summoned her blizzards again. She dodged Rudol's Aqua Jet and fired Ice Beam at point blank range, but the Empoleon powered through it easily.

"What?! How did you-" Froslass was struck across the face by Rudol's Metal Claw, leaving three long cuts across the witch's mask.

"I'm a Water and Steel type Pokemon. Guess what type I'm near-immune to" Rudol slashed Froslass's face again, tearing off the sorceress's mask.

"Water and Steel… No!" Froslass dashed away and began gathering darkness in her palms "What about this?!"

As Froslass's volley of Shadow Balls rushed towards the Empoleon, Rudol breathed cold mist in front of him, forming a thick shield of ice. The Shadow Balls crashed against the shield, making dents in the ice, but not breaking it. Rudol bashed the shield with his body and sent it flying towards Froslass. The witch shattered it with a Wake Up Slap.

"I am giving breathing room to you no longer" Rudol flew towards Froslass with Aqua Jet again and struck at her legs with Metal Claw, crippling the sorceress to the ground. Rudol grabbed Froslass by the neck and held her close to his face, mouth opening to reveal celestial blue energy.

"Make your peace. This Hydro Pump will be your end" Rudol intoned, glaring at the witch's hate-filled eyes.

"Curse you! I'll make you regret that you ever fought me!" Froslass screamed, clawing at the Empoleon's fins with no effect "Destiny Bond!"

Rudol unleashed his Hydro Pump milliseconds after she called down the curse and Froslass crashed through the icy wall on the other end of the room, her body being ripped to nothing. Soon, the witch's screams died down and silence reigned over the floor.

Rudol fell to his knees "Finally… over…"

A crackling sound made the Empoleon turn his head in surprise as everyone frozen by Froslass instantly defrosted, leaving broken chips of ice on the ground. Me and Priscilla ran to the cursed Empoleon while Ezra and Niko tended to Scizor.

"Rudol!" Priscilla handed the Empoleon an Oran Berry, but he gently slapped it away.

"It's no use. Destiny Bond… always makes sure its target falls…" Rudol fell to the ground, feverishly coughing "This is the end… for me…"

"Rudol… why?" I knelt over the dying Empoleon's body, struggling to hold back tears over his heroic sacrifice "Why would you do this for us?"

"Perhaps you couldn't hear me while being frozen but…" Rudol's voice, once proud, powerful and commanding, was now weak and far away "In our fight, I sensed powerful potential in all of you. You have potential to become incredible warriors, one that will change the world. Preserving your life is worth… sacrificing mine…"

"Rudol…" Priscilla sniffed, lowering her Oran Berry in her paw "We'll make sure your sacrifice is remembered. We'll do whatever we can to change the world for the better, no matter how minor"

"Thank… you…" The Empoleon's eyes were listless and distant "That's all I ever wanted to do… Change the world using my strength"

"If you can answer, please tell me" I said "Why were you cooped up in Crevice Cave if you wanted to change the world for the better?"

"I… I lost a very dear friend to me when I was a young Piplup. People may of called us lovers" Rudol replied weakly "I lost her because I wasn't strong enough. Out of shame… I locked myself in Crevice Cave and vowed to eventually become strong enough to avenge her and soon after, change the world"

"But you are amazingly strong now. Why didn't you leave the cave sooner?" Priscilla asked.

"The Pokemon who killed my friend were no common thugs. It was a large group, lead by someone with legendary power" Rudol coughed up blood "Where I was… there was a Time Gear. The group was after it…"

"Do you know who this Pokemon with legendary power looks like?" I asked. Someone who wanted to steal the Time Gears again sounded very worrying.

"I knew who he was now. He has a wisp of white hair… a cyan blue eye… blood red scarf and his body was pure black" The Empoleon's voice was getting further away by the second "His name was Darkr…"

Rudol's eyes finally closed for good and his breathing faded. Destiny Bond's curse finally took his life. Priscilla turned away, blinking back tears. I hugged her tightly and she softly cried into my chest.

"Answer me Silvin. Why… why do all the good people in the world have to die? You, Grovyle and now Rudol" Priscilla sniffed "Why, why, why…?"

"Shh, it'll be okay. Rudol's sacrifice was not in vain" I patted the back of the Eevee's head gently "Come on, let's get out of here and do what Rudol wanted us to do"

"O-okay…"

"Silvin, there's a warp panel further ahead that should teleport us back outside. Should we use it?" Niko interrupted.

"Yes, we should. Take Ezra and Scizor with you first to see if the snow is still heavy. We'll meet you out in a second" I turned back to the dead Empoleon as Niko walked off "Rudol, I'm sorry we can't bury you now. May you rest in peace, masterful warrior of Blizzard Island"

Not long later, we were sailing back to the mainland with Scizor now in tow.

"Thank you so very much for saving me. I'm sorry it had to come at the loss of one of your friends" Scizor apologized "May Giratina grant the Empoleon's soul freedom"

"I'll never get used to someone sacrificing their life for us" Niko's eyes held shame "I'm praying that none of us have to do it for each other. Even a mere stranger like Rudol… brings me to near tears"

"His fate was sealed the moment Froslass uttered the curse. We couldn't do anything about it" Ezra said bluntly "But… I admire him for his courage. May his soul find peace in Giratina's realm"

"So what will you do now, Scizor?" I asked "You've been frozen for fifteen years, so I'd imagine it'll be hard to get back to regular life"

"F-fifteen years?! I've been frozen for that long?!" Scizor's jaw dropped "Hopefully the Explorer Team Federation hasn't been disbanded…"

"No, it hasn't. Don't worry" Priscilla showed Scizor her treasure bag "I got this treasure bag from them not too long ago"

"Oh, thank the stars. I can return to my old team then" Scizor grinned "As gratitude for rescuing me, may I have your Explorer Badge? You do have one, right?"

"Of course. Here" I unpinned the Explorer Badge from my treasure bag and handed it to Scizor.

"I'll need a pen too"

Ezra gave the pincer Pokemon a pen.

"Thank you" Scizor drew a very distinct star-like pattern on my badge and handed it back to me "There. Now you'll be able to accept Special Missions, given by the Explorer Team Federation themselves"

"Uhh… thanks?" I was skeptical about the Special Missions thing since this was coming from a Scizor frozen for fifteen years, but I forced a smile "What kind of missions are these "Special Missions" anyways?"

"You'll have to find out yourself once you get one" Scizor replied simply, then stared ahead "It's a long way back to the mainland, eh?"

"Yeah it is. I'm going to get some rest to past the time" Priscilla pulled a blanket from her treasure bag and draped it around herself. She rested her hand on my lap and fell asleep instantly. Subtleness wasn't one of her strong suits.

"Well, guess I can't get some shut eye now" I sighed, then turned to the others "You three can if you want though"

A few hours later after nighttime darkness filled the sky, we finally arrived back at Treasure Town. Scizor bid farewell and thanks to us before disappearing into the gloom. The rest of us said goodbye to Lapras and headed back to Lush Prairie.

"I get what Zach, Henry, Aria and Eliana meant now" Priscilla said to me once we arrived in our tent and settled into bed "Never take me along to another snowy area. I've had enough to last a lifetime"

I laughed lightly "Something tells me we'll be back to another one of those sooner or later. It just comes with the explorer business"

Priscilla groaned "I suppose so. Let's get some rest now. Gotta be up and ready for the next day"

"Yep. Goodnight Priscilla"

"Goodnight Silvin. Sweet dreams"

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 56  
_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Dig  
_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 51  
_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Niko, Ampharos_

 _Level 49_

 _Moves: Thunderbolt, Thunder Punch, Signal Beam and Thunder Wave_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Ezra, Absol_

 _Level 46_

 _Moves: Night Slash, Pursuit, Detect and Psycho Cut_

 _IQ Level: ****_

 **I didn't take months to finish this time! I also just realized I forgot the "Our team" section in the last part, so here it is. Coming up next is the Surrounded Sea, where Silvin and Priscilla chance upon a new team member along with a mysterious egg. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!**


	39. Chapter 37: The Surrounded Sea

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 37: The Surrounded Sea

Business returned to usual after the Blizzard Island adventure. We did missions at the guild, crafted exclusive items for our friends thanks to Croagunk and researched who was the Pokemon Rudol told us about in his dying moments. Over the course of two weeks, we made a Magic Hat for Sara, which was a tall purple witch hat billowing purple flames. It was said to absorb Ghost type moves for the wearer and it was proven after Ezra used Shadow Claw on Sara. The shadows surrounding Ezra's claw disappeared upon contact with Sara's body and turned the attack into a Normal type move, phasing through the Mismagius harmlessly.

"Now that you know the Magic Hat works, can I please get back to my work now?" Ezra huffed, clearly irritated.

"Of course. Thank you for your help Ezra" Sara smiled and the Absol walked off in a hurry.

We also made something called the Mirage Cape for Aria. It was a partially invisible cape that could absorb Ice type attacks. Ezra was once again called out of her tent and given an Ice Beam TM to test the Mirage Cape's ice absorbing capabilities.

"I swear to god, if you pull me out of my tent again for this kind of nonsense I'll…" Ezra couldn't think of a threatening punishment, so she just sighed and stared at the Ice Beam disc, learning the move and replacing Pursuit. When she fired Ice Beam from her mouth at Aria, the Dragonair flipped the Mirage Cape in front of her with her tail. The Ice Beam, instead of striking Aria below her face, was fully absorbed into the invisible fabric with no damage to it at all.

"Well, looks like it works" Ezra turned to me with a look of displeasure "Is there anyone else who needs testing on Silvin?"

"We made a Fluffy Scarf for Niko, which halves special attack damage" I said "There's also the Gallant Torc for Zelot and the Glare Sash for Zach, which absorbs Ghost and Ground type moves respectively"

"You can handle Zach with Dig and Sara can test the Fluffy Scarf and Gallant Torc. I am not required here" Ezra replied flatly "Anyone else I should be aware about?"

I tilted my head upwards in thought "We made a Purity Veil for Eliana, but I doubt any of us can learn Toxic to test it out"

Ezra tensed. She wanted to correct me that almost any Pokemon can learn Toxic with the TM, but she kept her mouth shut, fearing I would drag her along into more testings.

"R-right. Nobody in our team can learn Toxic" Ezra lied "What about Henry? I think he's the only one without an exclusive item at the moment"

"We ran out of exclusive items to trade in for his Guts Sash unfortunately" I replied "Besides, it only allows him to absorb Rock type moves and I can have Zelot learn Stone Edge to test it. You wouldn't need to help regardless"

"Alright. If that's it, then I'll be heading back to my tent now" Ezra nodded and dashed back to her tent at a brisk pace. Good god, these people annoyed her to no end.

But they also were the closest family she had.

After testing out everyone's new exclusive items, me and Priscilla headed to the guild to pick up some more missions for the day. When we reached the crossroads however, Corphish crab-walked towards us.

"Hey, hey Silvin and Priscilla!" The Corphish waved its claw "Came to the guild for jobs as usual?"

"Yep. Anything you want to tell us?" I asked.

"Boy, do you know anything about talking with old friends to catch up? Not everything people talk to you about is for a purpose" Corphish sighed "Anyways, I wanted to tell you something. Sunflora's been jumping around about some place called the Surrounded Sea, so you might want to pay her a visit"

"Thanks Corphish and I'm sorry. I'll catch up with you later" I nodded to the ruffian Pokemon and headed into the guild with Priscilla. We found Sunflora on the second floor, looking excited as usual.

"Hey Silvin and Priscilla! Want to hear something exciting?" Sunflora asked as she bounced from one foot to the other.

"Sure. You're clearly eager to speak it out loud" Priscilla giggled and Sunflora nodded earnestly.

"Okay, so pay attention to this. Long ago, there was this mystery dungeon in the southern sea that was frozen over" Sunflora began "Probably because it was nearby Blizzard Island"

"We've been there recently" I nodded, then rolled my hand forward "Continue…"

"So anyways, Pokemon living in the southern peninsula discovered that the ice covering this dungeon was cracked!" Sunflora continued "Then managed to pry open a large enough crack for people to explore the dungeon again! It's called the Surrounded Sea for the ring of tall rocks surrounding the dungeon's entrance"

"Where is it exactly?" Priscilla asked as she pulled her Wonder Map out of her bag and unrolled it.

"Right… here" Sunflora pointed to the ring of rocks in a water body down south "You're going to need some sort of water transportation to get down there though, so I hope you have a method"

"Yeah, we have just the right thing" Priscilla rolled up the map and smiled at Sunflora "Thank you for telling us Sunflora. We'll go and explore it now"

"Yippee! Tell me exactly how it was when you get back!" Sunflora pushed up up the ladder "Bon voyage and have fun!"

"I thought we were doing jobs today Priscilla!" I said as we made our way back to the guild's entrance.

"We've been doing missions for the last two weeks. I want something else to do" Priscilla replied simply "Besides, I'm interested in what we can find in the Surrounded Sea. The ocean has always been a good place to find treasure"

"Because of the tides carrying loot across the sea?" I guessed and the Eevee nodded.

"Well… I guess it wouldn't be a bad change of pace. Wouldn't we need to find a way to breath underwater though?" I asked.

"Don't worry about that. All mystery dungeons under the sea have their own air" Priscilla realized she didn't make it clear enough and tried again "Think of it like a glass building where the real ocean is above you, but the building is the dungeon. You'll still be walking on ocean water as the floor, but you won't sink through it like real water"

I stared at Priscilla, still dumbfounded.

The Eevee sighed "You'll understand once we get there. So who are we bringing?"

"Niko is a given. If we run into Monster Houses, his Discharge will be especially effective at clearing them out" I paused "Might need to bring him back to Electivire's Link Shop though, since I think he forgot it in favor of Thunder Wave"

"Okay and who for the last slot?"

"If we want extra type effectiveness, we can have Zach or Eliana come along too" I cupped my hand under my chin in thought "I'd say we bring Eliana. Having Zach and Niko means we'll be in trouble if an enemy Gastrodon comes along"

"Sure, let's go with that then. Me, you, Niko and Eliana" Priscilla curled her lip "But maybe we should go with Zach this time. Niko came along with us in the last adventure and he deserves a break"

"Yeah, he should. I'll ask Zach when we get back if he knows Discharge" I nodded and Priscilla smiled. Us two always liked it when we finished making a decision. I gave her a light kiss on the cheek and we headed back to camp.

Thankfully, Zach knew Discharge and was willing to come along with us to Surrounded Sea. Eliana agreed too, even more so when she saw Zach beside us. We departed and found Lapras waiting for us at the beach.

"What are you doing waiting for us at the beach?" I asked as I climbed onto Lapras's shell along with the others "We were about to go to Brine Cave to resummon you"

"I'm not a magical being to be summoned Silvin" Lapras scolded as he began moving through the ocean southward "I was hanging around the beach simply because I like it here. The water's calm and cool and the town's very peaceful and quiet. It's the type of place I fancy myself being in"

"I see. So you wouldn't mind ferrying us around to new dungeons on a moment's notice?" Priscilla asked "Because we're heading to Surrounded Sea today and hoping to pick up a permanent Water type for our team for transportation purposes"

"I appreciate your concern for me, but I'm perfectly fine with ferrying you anywhere you wish" Lapras reassured "After all, it gives me something to do and I am no doubt the safest ride you can get across the sea, given my powers"

"Is it really okay with you Lapras?" Eliana asked again and the transport Pokemon nodded.

"Well, that saves us the trouble of recruiting a Water type Pokemon" I clasped my hands together "Although it wouldn't be a bad idea to get one regardless. Anyone know what Pokemon we'll encounter in the Surrounded Sea?"

Everyone shook their head.

"We practically left on a moment's notice after Sunflora told us about Surrounded Sea, so I didn't have time to research it" Priscilla replied curtly "So it's all going to be a mystery to us once we enter"

"I could tell you" Lapras said, not even turning his head to face us "All the Pokemon living in Surrounded Sea are Water types"

"Gee, thanks Captain Obvious…" Zach muttered and Eliana nodded in agreement.

"You'll find Tentacruel, the Horsea line, Slowbro, Slowking, Starmie, Quilfish, the Remoraid line, the Wailmer line, Finneon, Clamperl and Lapras" Lapras continued "Rumor has it that Lugia, the legendary guardian of the seas lives here too"

"Hmm… does it need some special item to appear to explorers?" Zach asked and Lapras stared at the Luxray, perplexed.

"No, I don't believe so. Why?"

"Before Silvin and Priscilla recruited us into Team Skylar, me and Niko were being chased by a wild Zapdos in Amp Plains" Zach explained "I asked Niko why Zapdos was here and Niko replied that someone might be carrying a "Mystery Part""

"Mystery Part… a treasure that causes legendary Pokemon to appear to the holder" Lapras murmured, clearly in deep thought "I'm afraid I never heard about it, but that could be why the rumor of Lugia being in the Surrounded Sea is just a rumor"

"Guess that's one more thing added to my list to research" Priscilla stared at the sea all around us "There's so many undiscovered treasures in the world. The Lost Loot, the Seven Treasures, the Golden Apple and now, the Mystery Part"

None of us talked for a little while after that until Eliana spoke up.

"So roughly how long will it take to reach Surrounded Sea?" The Shaymin asked as the mainland slowly disappeared behind us "The journey to Blizzard Island took like what? Three or four hours?"

"Surrounded Sea is a little further south than Blizzard Island is, so the trip will take about five hours. I suggest resting to pass the time and recharge your energy" Lapras replied "Because it won't get anywhere near interesting from this point onward"

Each of us took turns napping as Lapras moved further south, the sun above us driving across the sky. With how much time we spent sailing, I wondered if it'll be more than a day before we returned to camp. After four hours, the sea turned into a wasteland of ice and glaciers, just like the ocean leading to Blizzard Island. Lapras cut through the ice easily as he went along, focusing entirely on a ring of rocks far ahead. An hour passed and we reached the ring of rocks, which had a dark spot of water in the center.

"This is a dive spot to enter the dungeon" Lapras explained as he sailed into the ring of rocks "You're supposed to dive down here and swim straight downwards. You should pop into the dungeon from the ceiling above"

"Should" I repeated, staring down the murky blue water. I slipped my hand into it and recoiled like my hand caught fire. Except this fire was freezing cold and wet "How long do we have to swim before we reach the dungeon? Because I'll freeze to death if its longer than ten seconds"

Lapras tilted his head "Depends how fast of a swimmer you are. I can reach the dungeon in three seconds if I wanted to"

"Not helping" Priscilla peered into the water, then grasped my hand "Why don't I go in with you? I could keep you warm"

"I'll appreciate that" I nodded, then turned to Lapras "So you'll be waiting for us here?"

"Yes. When you take the warp panel at the end of the dungeon, you'll appear on the platform on that rock over there" Lapras cocked his head at the spire to his right. A relatively large stone platform was attached to the base, large enough for all four of us to fit without space issues.

"Alright then, I'll trust your word" Priscilla paused before jumping in "How do you know so much about the Surrounded Sea anyways?"

"Because I was born here" The transport Pokemon replied, eyes twinkling at the nostalgia "I was born and chosen as the guide to Hidden Land long before this entrance was discovered. So I'd say I know a lot about this place"

"Interesting. I'd stay and ask more, but we should really be going" Priscilla squeezed my hand "Ready to go in Silvin?"

"Yep" I turned to Zach, who had Eliana nestled in his mane "I'm assuming you two will be going in the same way we are: in pairs?"

"Yeah, we'll follow you in after you dive" Zach nodded, then poked up forward with his claw "Go on, it's time for some action"

"Alright, let's go" Priscilla nodded at me "Ready?"

"Ready" And we plunged into the freezing cold water. The moment I submerged, the frigid water instantly gripped my limbs, paralyzing them. I moved through the water like I was moving through syrup. In the back of my mind, something told me if I went too deep, I won't be able to come back up fast enough to breath. Despite this, Priscilla tugged me downward and I took in the little warmth I could get from her. We kept swimming downward, holding our breaths for as long as we could. Before my lungs exploded, we slipped into the dungeon and landed on a watery floor.

I sat down and took in a deep breath of air "Please tell me this is a one time trip. Because I do not want to do that again"

Priscilla only nodded in agreement as she shook herself off "We got into the dungeon at least. Now we wait for Zach and Eliana to arrive"

Looking around the room we were in, I understood what Priscilla was trying to explain a couple hours ago. The dungeon's walls and floor were made entirely out of the ocean's water, but it was suspended in a way that made them solid to touch and stand on. Above us, the ceiling showed the normal icy ocean, with Water and Ice type Pokemon swimming by like this was a regular day. Hungry from the journey south, I opened my treasure bag and bit into an apple. Thankfully, the Explorer Team Federation made the bags waterproof.

"Zach and Eliana are taking an awfully long time to come down…" Priscilla stared at the suspended water hole above us with a worried expression "I hope they're all right"

On cue, the Luxray and Shaymin came down from the ceiling and landed on the damp floor with a splash. Some of the water landed on me and my apple.

"Seriously? You got salt water on my apple" I groaned in disappointment as I threw the partially eaten apple on the floor. Some random wild Pokemon will eat it eventually "But good job for making it down"

"Thanks. Don't ask for an encore" Zach shook himself off to get the water out of his fur "But now we're all here. Shall we get going?"

"Yep. Our objective is simple: get to the end and hopefully find treasure" Priscilla always smiled at the prospect of a new adventure and today was no different "And recruit a Water Pokemon along the way"

"There should be plenty of Water type Pokemon here" I stood up and shouldered my treasure bag "We've got a lot of options. I could do for a Starmie, Lapras and Kingdra personally"

"We'll take whoever comes first" Priscilla bit her lip "Given they aren't gigantic like Wailord. We don't have a lot of luck recruiting wild Pokemon, don't we?"

"Wasn't the only wild Pokemon we recruited Ezra, Henry and Aria?" I wondered aloud as we started moving through the dungeon "Everyone else joined without a fight"

"I've heard of certain items that promote recruitment for an exploration team" Zach spoke up "Don't ask me how they worked, but Niko told me about it one day. Apparently, these items calmed the wild and savage hearts of wild Pokemon and makes them more friendly, therefore easier to recruit"

"Have any examples?" Priscilla asked, curious.

"There's the Friend Bow, the Amber Tear and the Golden Mask" The Luxray explained as we walked through a watery hallway. Eliana poked her paw through the wall and yelped when it passed into the icy cold water "The Friend Bow is a common recruitment-inducing item. It's produced en mass, but the calming magic within is very limiting"

"You're awfully well informed of this kind of information" I noted, raising at eyebrow.

Zach shrugged "Let's say I was curious enough to do a little research. The Amber Tear and Golden Mask are much, much rarer and thus, their calming magic is nearly five times stronger than the Friend Bow's. The books say only one Amber Tear and Golden Mask exist in the world"

"Interesting. That could be another treasure we could set our sights on, assuming it isn't taken already" Priscilla glanced around, wondering why no enemy Pokemon were prowling around "Hey… why is it so quiet around here? I don't hear or see any enemy Pokemon around"

"Yeah, it's strange. It's almost eerie in a way" Eliana commented, then stuck her paw into the wall again "Wait… if Pokemon in the dungeon can freely enter and exit through the walls, what if they are hiding above or around us?"

With the trap sprung, the Water Pokemon fell down from the ceiling and emerged from the walls, instantly surrounding us. There were two Starmie, one Lapras and an Octillery.

"Well… my awareness level is going way up after this" I muttered before dodging a Water Pulse from a Starmie and retaliating with Bite. Before I could continue my attack, Lapras's Ice Beam struck me hard in the waist, sending me to the ground. While Priscilla ran to assist me, Eliana fired an Energy Ball from atop Zach's mane to counter an Octazooka from Octillery. Zach himself was pulsing with electricity.

"Discharge!" The Luxray called and a giant flare of lightning fried all the enemies in the room. The Starmie and Octillery fell instantly, but Lapras held on with a silver of life left. Being the smart Pokemon it was, Lapras dove into the wall and disappeared into the dark sea to heal.

"Well, I suppose we can expect more ambush attacks like that" I noted dryly as we descended down the stairs to the second floor "Zach, do you think you can project an electric shield to guard us against hiding enemy Pokemon?"

"Actually Silvin, I have something better" Zach closed his eyes and a sparkling ball of blue electricity materialized beside him. Unlike Niko and Zach's electric lighting orbs from before, this one seemed more wild and savage. It immediately flew into the ceiling and zapped a passing Seadra into ash.

"That's impressive and all, but can you control it to only attack enemy Pokemon?" I asked, watching the orb zip through the ocean, killing almost everything in sight "I wouldn't want to endanger innocent Pokemon for no reason"

"I'll try to, but it's going to require me to concentrate" Zach replied as he extended his claw in a tugging motion. The orb flew back to his side, impatiently waiting for orders "You three are going to have to guard me so I can control the orb. Either that or I dissipate it"

Priscilla curled her lip, weighing the benefits and cons of either decision "We'll need you for Discharge duty if too many enemy Pokemon show up or a Monster House comes down. Maybe only use the orb when we're in relative safety"

"Alright then, I'll keep it around for now" Zach nodded at the orb and it began zipping around him faster than my eyes could track it "Just think of it like an experiment for now. I DID create this technique myself, you know"

We travelled in silence for a while, wary of ambush attacks by enemy Pokemon. Surrounded Sea was a very long and tedious dungeon, easily exceeding more than ten floors. We had to take breaks to eat and rest very often, which was hard considering the floor was water.

"How many floors deep are we right now? I think we've been down here for more than two hours" Zach remarked as he bit into an apple. On the Luxray's head, Eliana was munching on an Oran Berry because her mouth was too small for an apple.

Priscilla tilted her head "I think we're on floor fourteen now. It's hard to tell how far this dungeon goes down"

"I hope it ends soon because I'm getting tired of the same watery labyrinth" Eliana muttered, then gestured around her with her paw "Literally every floor is the same. Can't something interesting just happen already?"

I winced "Be careful with what you wish for. "Interesting" could mean a Monster House or some other dangerous thing in the eyes of the gods"

"Still, aren't you tired of fourteen floors of the same environment, enemy Pokemon and enemy tactics?" Eliana drunk down a Max Elixir to restore her PP "I'll admit, this place is beautiful, but it's cold, dangerous and really boring after a while"

"I agree. I'm not wishing for something "interesting" to happen, but I'm hoping to find some treasure for all our trouble" Priscilla finished her apple and stuffed the core into her bag "Wait… nobody talk"

Everyone fell silent at Priscilla's command and the Eevee cocked her ear to the left. I followed her lead and heard distant screams, yells of rage and explosions somewhere on this floor.

"Sounds like another explorer is battling the Pokemon here" Zach thought aloud as he slowly moved in the direction of the noise "That or the enemy Pokemon are fighting one another. Should we check it out?"

"We'll probably run into them while trying to find the stairs, so it wouldn't hurt taking a look" Priscilla nodded "Let's see what this commotion is about"

Not long later, we found a Monster House full of Water type Pokemon surrounding a lone Kingdra. From the hallway we were in, I spotted five Slowbros, two Slowkings and a cohort of Octillery and Remoraid serving as the artillery. A lone Seadra seemed to be the leader of the group.

"Give back my necklace, you thief!" A female Seadra yelled "Or else we're going to blast you!"

"Aren't you a clever woman, amassing a pursuit force this quickly" The Kingdra replied dryly "Too bad you don't know your own species. Come on, try and kill me with your Water type attacks. I dare you"

"You… you arrogant little bastard!" Seadra snarled before cocking her head to the wall of Octillery and Remoraid "Then let's see if your boast holds true. Attack!"

Shot after shot of high-speed water blasted the Kingdra over and over, but they all effortlessly bounced off him. Seadra yelled at the Slowbro and Slowking to strike with their Psychic moves, but like their names say, they were slow and dim witted, making it easy for Kingdra to blast them with Dragon Pulse.

"Now don't you dare call me the thief. You're the one who stole my maps!" Kingdra pointed his barrel mouth at Seadra as it gathered celestial purple light "Now give them back or I'll have to Dragon Pulse you back into the ocean!"

"Give back my jewelry and I give back your maps!"

"No way in hell. The moment I give your precious pearl necklace back, you'll flee into the ocean. Give me my map first"

"Then you'll escape with my necklace!"

"I'm surrounded by twenty of your goons, you idiot! I can't escape unless you command them to leave!"

"What if there was no one left to command? Zach, go!" I shouted and the Luxray leaped into the room fueled in power by a Violent Seed. Both Zach and Eliana together unleashed Discharge and Seed Flare, sending a shockwave of electrical and natural energy that eradicated every single Water type in the room except for the Kingdra. Some burned into ash instantly while others dissolved. All that was left after the carnage was Seadra's own treasure bag.

The Kingdra eyed us suspiciously "You aren't part of their gang, are you? Not foreign mercenaries attempting to take the gang's bounty for themselves?"

I shook my head "We're simply explorers from the mainland. We're Team Skylar"

"An exploration team, hm? I haven't met those in a while" Kingdra relaxed and accepted Seadra's treasure bag from Zach "The only ones that come around these days are purely Water type Pokemon, so they blend in easily. I could of ran into thousands of exploration teams and never knew"

"Well, I'm sure they weren't certified exploration teams like ours" I showed the Kingdra the Explorer Badge pinned onto my bag "By the way, can you tell us what really went on here? I heard Seadra accusing you for stealing her necklace and then you retorted by saying she and her gang stole your maps"

"Yes, I'm afraid it's a short tale of blackmail, revenge and thievery" The Kingdra sighed as he dug through Seadra's treasure bag, as if looking for something "Would you mind giving me your names first? I do want to know who I'm spilling this story to"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Silvin" I said, then pointed to Priscilla, Zach and Eliana "That's Priscilla, Zach and Eliana"

"Pleased to meet you. My name is Alster" The Kingdra managed a faint smile as he continuing digging through the treasure bag. A flash of concern marked Alster's face, but he hid it quickly "I'm a solo explorer and scholar of sorts down here in the Surrounded Sea. One day, I came across a intriguing map here in the dungeon. It detailed the path towards a dungeon far north and high in the sky: Sky Stairway"

Eliana rose her eyebrows "I heard of the Sky Stairway before! The elders in Shaymin Village used to compare it to the summit of Sky Peak for ages. Apparently, the Sky Stairway is home to the legendary Pokemon Rayquaza and he's the guardian of the Sky Melodica"

"A melodica wouldn't happen to be an instrument, right?" I asked, my excitement slowly rising.

"Yes it is. A melodica, to put it simple and bluntly, is a combination trumpet and keyboard. You play the long valve with your mouth while your hands work the keyboard" Alster explained "So the Sky Stairway is where Rayquaza, the guardian of the Sky Melodica lives. That means…"

"The Sky Melodica is one of the legendary Seven Treasures and Sky Stairway is the location of the first" Priscilla finished, then turned to Alster "You wouldn't happen to want to explore Sky Stairway and claim the Sky Melodica, right? If not, we could take the map off your hands"

"Priscilla, don't be selfish like that!" I scolded "Alster, if you're planning to explore Sky Stairway and the other dungeons where the Seven Treasures are hidden, you can't go alone. You're going to need an exploration team to back you up"

"Is this just a trick to get the Seven Treasures for yourself?"

"No, no! Absolutely not!" I shot a glare at Priscilla "Look, we're on the lookout for a Water type Pokemon for our team at the moment. I feel you would be an excellent addition, given your apparent power, wisdom and knowledge"

Alster stared at me, a bit of distrust in his eyes "Help me find the Sky Stairway map and perhaps I'll join you. That is, unless I detect malicious intent from you from now to the end of the dungeon. Deal?"

"Wait, that Seadra DIDN'T have the map in her bag?" Zach asked, surprised.

Alster shook his head "No. She probably entrusted it to a someone before confronting me. They should be somewhere in the lower reaches of the dungeon"

"Alright, that's another thing to do in this dungeon at least" Priscilla sighed with relief "So will you join us for the time being Alster?"

"I suppose having allies wouldn't hurt" Alster dug through Seadra's treasure bag with his snout, then threw a decently-sized bag of Poke at Priscilla "Consider that payment for rescuing me. Now then, shall we go?"

"Yes. Let's hurry along" I nodded and we took off "Why did you steal Seadra's necklace, by the way?"

"I wanted to bribe her to give me back my map" Alster replied "She steals something precious from me and I'll steal something precious from her. An eye for an eye"

"So I'm assuming you're at least a decent thief, given that you stolen something so valuable?" Eliana asked.

"I could become a dangerous rogue or assassin if I wanted to, but I don't like endangering or making life harder for any Pokemon, aside from the ones who deserve it" The Kingdra replied "I only steal when it's necessary, but I have my ways of doing it"

"Interesting. So you're a jack-of-all-trades kind of guy, right?" Zach's eyes darted to a Wailmer charging from above. The Luxray slashed it down with an electrified claw.

"You could say that. I can fight, research and I'm relatively fast and stealthy" Alster arched his eyebrows, clearly uncomfortable with talking about himself "Now can we stop talking about me? I'm far from an egotistical person"

"Right, right. Sorry" I laughed "It's just that we like to get to know our team members rather quickly. Trust lets us cover each other's backs, no?"

"Trust also brings betrayal, but I've never worked in a team before" Alster sucked in a breath, creating a miniature tornado in his barrel mouth "Perhaps you can change my mind if my instincts are correct"

"What did your instincts say?"

"You'll find out once our business is done" Alster replied to Priscilla "For now, it's a secret"

"Ah well, I suppose I should of expected that" Priscilla stared ahead "Spy anyone you know?"

"If they are smart, they would retreat to the deepest floor of the dungeon and fortify their position. They know I'll come down for my map" Alster huffed in frustration "It'll be a challenging fight, but the map is valuable and rightfully mine"

"Then let's try to catch them before they reach the bottom" Zach turned on his x-ray vision and peered through the wall "I spot the stairs to our far left. We need to go through the left hallway in the next room and continue downwards"

"Why didn't you use your x-ray vision before?" I asked and Zach smiled sheepishly, embarrassed.

"I sorta forgot about it. I never really had a use for it until now" The Luxray explained "But at least we'll be able to track the stairs easier and catch the thieves. So good thing I remembered, right?"

"What's it like seeing with x-ray vision?" Eliana asked curiously "Like can you see the bones in our bodies?"

"Yes, I can see everyone's bones and if you're wondering, everything in my vision is black and white right now" Zach blinked and his glowing gold eyes turned back to normal "Ah, that's better. Seeing in x-ray gets tiring quickly"

After a little while, I turned to Alster.

"How many floors are in the dungeon Alster?" I asked.

"Twenty. Right now, we're on the fifteenth floor" The Kingdra replied, eyes watching a herd of Wailmer swim overhead. Luckily, they made no attempt to attack us "Still no sign of the thieves, so they might be down in the seventeenth or eighteenth floor by now"

"Unless they get hopelessly lost, they'll reach the end before us" I bit my lip "Although it wouldn't be the end of the world if they reach the final floor first. Zach can just Discharge and fry all of them instantly"

"I suppose that's true. Plus, everyone here it too afraid to take the warp panel out" Alster managed a faint smile "They still think the world above the sea is a frozen wasteland. So I'd say we have them effectively cornered"

My grin grew wide "Then no rush to catch them, right?"

"No rush. Let them set up their defenses. One Violent Seed and Discharge and they'll all be gone" Alster laughed lightly "If some survive, give them the chance to surrender and retreat first though. Not everyone in the gang is there on their own free will"

"Interesting. Tell me more" I said, curiosity on the edge of my voice "And if you don't mind, tell me a bit more about yourself. You're a very mysterious and interesting person to me honestly"

Alster's eyes twinkled "I won't spill everything to you in this conversation, but a little bit won't hurt"

The Kingdra took in a breath.

"What would you like to know?"

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 57  
_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Bite and Dig  
_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 53  
_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Bite and Quick Attack_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Zach, Luxray_

 _Level 55_

 _Moves: Thunder Fang, Crunch, Discharge and Spark_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Eliana, Shaymin_

 _Level 54_

 _Moves: Energy Ball, Seed Flare, Aromatherapy and Synthesis_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Alster, Kingdra_

 _Level 55_

 _Moves: Water Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Hydro Pump and Ice Beam_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 **Personally, I always found the "Ocean" arc of the postgame (Surrounded Sea and Miracle Sea) pretty boring aside from a certain baby Pokemon turning the hero and partner into parents more or less, especially if the hero and partner are male and female. Considering there's no boss in Surrounded Sea, I decided to use a mob of Water type thieves to serve as the antagonists here. Coming next is the battle against the rogues who stole Alster's map along with the discovery of a mysterious egg. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!  
**


	40. Chapter 38: Child of the Waves

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 38: Child of the Waves

It was cold, painful and boring, but we finally made it to the lowest reaches of the Surrounded Sea on the twentieth floor. Looking back at it, I could of appreciated the beauty of the ocean's floor through the dungeon's walls, but I was too busy watching the remaining gang members trying to organize themselves to defend against us. One Discharge from Zach and it'll all be over for them. It'll be over even faster if Eliana pitched in with Seed Flare. All five of us watched them from behind a tall, rugged rock. This was almost too funny for us to watch.

"I'm surprised they aren't fighting among themselves for the map, considering how valuable it could be" Alster remarked as we watched a troop of Stamie pass by. Whoever replaced Seadra was amassing an army and yet we were hitched behind a rock, spying on them.

"You said that the people of Surrounded Sea think it's still a frozen wasteland above the dungeon" I whispered to the Kingdra "So what good would the map be to them if they can't escape through the ocean to the mainland?"

Alster shrugged "This might be the most interesting thing they ever robbed in their lives. Perhaps they'll start looking for entrances to the world above if they are dead set on following the map"

"You said they weren't going to take the warp panel out of the dungeon, right?" Priscilla asked.

"Yes, they are too afraid of teleporting knee-deep in ice when they arrive. It's less risky to send scouts to find exits than to risk the warp panel" Alster replied "So we effectively trapped them unless another entrance cracks open"

"Then what are we doing hiding like this? Shouldn't we go out and take them all out in one swoop?" Zach whispered.

"Shh, someone's making an announcement. Looks like the new leader of the gang" Eliana hushed Zach as the army formed sloppy ranks in front of a menacing-looking Tentacruel.

"Welcome, welcome, one and all!" The Tentacruel's voice was sharp and had deception laced right in, which meant it was kind-sounding but lies were easy to spot from him "Today we have truly recovered a magnificent treasure!"

One of Tentacruel's tentacles rose and it carried a parchment map depicting a cloud stairway atop a high mountain. Tentacruel flipped the map and it was a Wonder Map with a red line connecting the Shimmer Desert with the Sky Stairway. If we got the map back, we could grab two of the Seven Treasures in one go.

"This map shows us that the world above isn't a dead, frozen wasteland anymore! There is life beyond the Surrounded Sea!" The Tentacruel continued "I've already sent Tentacool scouts to locate an exit for us. Soon, we'll be out of this ocean and into the outside world, ready to conquer it!"

"Conquer the outside world…?" I muttered in confusion, then stared at Zach "One Discharge will end them all. I guess they never saw an Electric type down here before, huh?"

"The hoodlums here were never really smart" Alster agreed.

"We're not thieves anymore. We are conquerors, ready to march into the upper world to show our Water type power!" Tentacruel continued to rally, earning him cheers from the other Pokemon "You all were born as thieves, ready to steal anything for a living. Now I'm giving you a chance at a real life as kings! Who's with me?!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd again.

"As celebration for our success, we're going to turn this egg…" Two Tentacool brought Tentacruel a short blue and red egg "Into a nice, tasty treat for all of you! Just a little payback for the lives you were forced to wrought!"

"That egg doesn't look like a normal one…" Alster's eyes narrowed as purple light began gathering slowly in his mouth "Everyone, we need to spring into action now. Before they cook that egg"

"Got it" Priscilla handed Zach and Eliana Violent Seeds, then pushed them out of their rock hiding place "Go on, rain hell on them"

"So while we're waiting for our scouts to return, let's- Hey! Who the hell are you?!" Tentacruel focused on Zach and Eliana and the army did the same "You don't look like Water type Pokemon!"

"Newsflash, there are more types of Pokemon than just Water" Zach began pulsing with electricity "And if you think you can conquer the upper world with Water type Pokemon alone, you're in a bad surprise"

"Bon voyage, you slimy sea creatures!" Eliana's entire body glowed nature green "Seed…"

"Stop them!" Tentacruel yelled, then turned to the Tentacool carrying the egg "Give me that egg! I'm going to escape through the ocean and find my own way out!"

"What?! You're abandoning us?!" One of the Tentacool yelped.

"Yes! This map and egg are mine and mine alone! I don't care about this army as long as I can escape myself!" Tentacruel screamed as Zach's Discharge and Eliana's Seed Flare blasted the Surrounded Sea army to shreds "NOW GIVE ME THE EGG DAMMIT!"

Suddenly, three rapid blasts of Dragon Pulse blew the Tentacool's heads open and shot Tentacruel hard, leaving a painful red rupture on the jellyfish's head. Tentacruel rose, dizzy from Alster's Dragon Pulse headshot. He was about to snatch the egg for himself when Discharge and Seed Flare reached him. A apocalyptic shockwave of electricity and nature energy overpowered Tentacruel's body to absolute nothing. The jellyfish's body has dissolved to sea foam.

"Congratulations, you removed 90% of Surrounded Sea's population off the face of the earth" Alster said dryly to Zach and Eliana as we inspected the egg for any damage. Fortunately, there wasn't even a scratch on it.

"We can't leave it here. It could still be in danger of being stolen again" Priscilla said "And when it hatches, who is going to take care of the baby? I don't see the mother or father anywhere around here"

"Maybe they are around the upper floors of the dungeon, getting things for the baby" Zach pointed out, but he knew what we were going to say next.

"Why would they leave their baby unguarded and open for attack? If their parents ARE here, I'll-" Priscilla was cut off by Alster, who pointed to a trail of blood leading into the next room with his snout. We followed the trail into the next room and found two Pokemon covered in blood. Both of them were dead and had several large bite marks on their bodies, like Carvanha had taken chunks of their flesh off of them.

"W-who are these Pokemon?" Finding two mutilated bodies was unnerving, especially since I realized that these are likely the baby's parents.

"They are Manaphy, known as one of the sea guardians and the Prince or Princess of the Sea" Alster nudged the two Manaphy to check for a pulse, but neither of them stirred. They were both dead for a long time.

"The egg outside is light blue, red and yellow, which matches these Manaphy's colour scheme" Priscilla's eyes held sorrow as she glanced at the egg outside "That means these two Manaphy were the baby's parents"

"Mm" Alster walked through the wall into the freezing cold ocean and dug up a large pit in the sand with his snout. He came back into the room and took the two Manaphys outside the dungeon, burying both of them together in the pit he made. The Kingdra closed his eyes and a translucent grave of suspended water appeared over the pit, noticeable even in the dark depths of the Surrounded Sea.

"It falls to us to raising the baby Manaphy until we can find a trustworthy Water type to raise him" Alster said after he re-entered the dungeon "Like Priscilla said, if we leave it here, it'll be open to being stolen again and if it hatches, they'll be nobody around to raise him. So we have to do it"

"Are you sure? I heard that raising a Pokemon in a territory unaccustomed to their nature can lead to some life-threatening illnesses" Eliana pointed out.

"We don't have any better option. Once the egg is safe, I'll contact one of my friends who's living in Miracle Sea at the moment. I believe he has the time to raise Manaphy" Alster's face was grim. Clearly, he was slightly upset with taking the Manaphy's baby without permission and he didn't want to endanger the child in any way, but hard decisions call for hard judgement.

"Well, I can't think of a better plan to keep the egg safe" I said, looking at everyone's faces for signs of objection "Anyone want to offer an alternate idea?"

Nobody spoke up

"Alright, we're going along with Alster's plan then. We'll take the Manaphy egg back to camp and care for it the best we can while Alster contacts his friend in the Miracle Sea. Sound good?" I asked and everyone nodded "Good. I'll carry the egg then. Take the warp panel and meet Lapras back at the entrance. You're coming with us Alster?"

The Kingdra nodded "You've earned my respect and have served justice to the right people. I'll officially join your exploration team after the Manaphy egg case is dealt with"

"Fantastic. Follow Lapras back to the mainland after we take off, alright?"

"Understood"

Not too long later, we were sailing back to the mainland with the Manaphy egg safe and Alster swimming close by behind us. A minor rainstorm was pelting the sea around us, but Lapras projected a shield that kept us safe from the weather. Strangely, Alster swam much, much faster when it was raining, easily outpacing Lapras.

"The thieves had some treasure chests on them" Zach opened his treasure bag and showed up five small red chests "They're locked, so I'm bringing them to Xatu Appraisal once we arrive back to the mainland"

"Do you think the chests could contain the Manaphy family's belongings? Or was it treasure washing into the dungeon?" Priscilla wondered aloud "Guess we'll find out after Xatu opens them. One of us have to learn how to lockpick someday so we can do this ourselves"

"You're going to need dexterous fingers to do that. Long and flexible dexterous fingers" I said as Zach closed his treasure bag "Don't ask me how Xatu opens those chests if his wings are his hands"

"Maybe he uses magic to open the chest" Priscilla suggested "I brought a few chests to him one time and I remember him chanting inside his tent to open it"

"Then what's with the lockpicks he has? If he uses magic to open the chests, he doesn't need those picks" I pointed out.

"Maybe he levitates the picks with his psychic power and inserts them into the chests to unlock them" Zach suggested "That explains his chanting, the picks in his tent and his lack of fingers to use the picks"

"I wouldn't have chosen the profession of picking chests if I had psychic power, but I guess Xatu had nothing else to do" I shrugged "Anyway, I'm going to get some shut eye to pass the time. See you all when I wake up"

I wrapped a blanket around myself and slept on my treasure bag while the others talked quietly around me. I caught Priscilla teasing Zach and Eliana about liking each other, much to the duo's embarrassed stammering. Later, they talked about recruiting a Fire type into Team Skylar because we've been missing one for years since the team was first created.

"We'll have to make a trip to the northwest land if we want to recruit a Fire type" Zach said "The Giant Volcano would be a good place to look"

"Doesn't Steam Cave nearby Fogbound Lake have Fire types too? I remember seeing Numel, Magmar and Slugma there" Priscilla recalled and Zach shook his head.

"The northwest land is composed of almost entirely Fire types besides Mt Mistral, according to Zelot. If we want to recruit a Fire type, we would want to go there for more variety" The Luxray explained.

"How do you know so much about this place Zach? We haven't even been there before" Priscilla asked, impressed.

"Zelot and Sara went there once for a bounty hunting job years ago. They told us during the Brine Cave expedition" Zach replied, adjusting himself to make Eliana more comfortably, who was sleeping on Zach's mane "I bet one of the mystery dungeons on that land contains one of the Seven Treasures, so we might go there sometime"

"Good time to pick up a Fire type then. Wonder what Pokemon we'll get" Priscilla glanced to Alster swimming close beside us, not even hearing the conversation "If Rudol hadn't died against Froslass, perhaps we wouldn't have picked up Alster. Fate works in funny ways, you know"

The two stopped talking afterwards and just watched the moon and the stars above them as me and Eliana slept.

"I remember doing this exact thing with Silvin two years ago on our journey to the Hidden Land" Priscilla reminisced "Me and him were watching the stars on Lapras's back while Grovyle was sleeping. We saw a shooting star and both of us made a wish that all three of us would survive the journey"

Zach gave Priscilla a sympathetic look "I'm sorry that wish didn't come true, but Grovyle died a hero"

"Yeah, I know. I'm still upset about Grovyle and mad at Dusknoir for taking him away from us. He used to be Silvin's best friend, you know" Priscilla stared into the dark water "But perhaps Grovyle didn't truly die. Maybe he dragged Dusknoir into the future with him and decided not to leave"

"Considering you and Silvin saved the world from the planet's paralysis, I wouldn't be eager to jump back into the past either" Zach gestured around himself with his claw "I hope he's happy in the future you two created"

"I hope so too" Priscilla curled her lip "Although I can't shake the feeling that the world's still in danger. Rudol mentioned a legendary Pokemon going after the Time Gears in the past before he died"

"That was in the past though" The Luxray replied "And the most recent case of Time Gear theft was Grovyle two years ago. It's likely that this legendary Pokemon was caught and slain before his scheme could succeed"

"Still, I don't feel truly at peace yet. Something big is coming on the horizon and it's not friendly" Priscilla shook her head "Oh, listen to me rambling. I'm probably just tired"

"You should get some rest then. It's been a long day" Zach smiled warily at Priscilla "I'll be awake if you need me. I can't sleep with Eliana on my head after all"

Priscilla giggled as she pulled a brown blanket out of her treasure bag "You two are so cute together, you know that?"

"Ugh, please spare me of that again. Just go to sleep Priscilla"

Daybreak and dawn arrived hours later once we reached the shores of the mainland. We unloaded our treasure bags, said goodbye to Lapras and headed back to camp with the Manaphy egg in tow. Alster told us to keep the egg safe and then disappeared under the waves, heading to Miracle Sea.

"So do we have a spare nest or something for this egg? I doubt a regular bed would keep this in one place" I said as I rotated the egg around in my hands "And do we need to find a chicken or something to sit on this to keep it warm?"

Priscilla slapped my arm "That's not how eggs work here Silvin. Besides, the Manaphy egg came from the frigid waters of Surrounded Sea. The last thing we want to do is overheat it"

"Well, this place is like a sauna compared to Surrounded Sea, so we might have trouble with the egg regardless" I shrugged "Anyway, you still didn't answer my question. Do we have a spare nest for this egg?"

"I remember seeing one in the corner of the central storage tent" Zach answered "I think Henry bought it one time to remind him of home back on Mt Bristle"

"You think it's big enough for the egg?"

"Probably"

"Well, let's see if it fits first" Eliana said "If it doesn't, Henry can just fly to Treasure Town and buy a bigger one. I'm sure Kecleon's Shop will open in a few hours"

We arrived at camp just as Niko and Sara finished cooking breakfast. A feast made for eleven Pokemon was set out on a long table nearby the bonfire. The smell of freshly made pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs and toast filled the air, making my stomach growl. I haven't had a proper meal since yesterday.

"We're back! Sorry for taking so long" I announced as Aria slithered up to me and took the Manaphy egg out of my hands, coiling around it to keep it warm. I served myself a plate of pancakes and buttered toast with a blueberry muffin while Priscilla beckoned everyone to sit down so she can explain what happened.

"Thanks to Zach and Eliana, we took down the army of Water type Pokemon and discovered the baby's parents murdered in the warp room" The Eevee explained as Zelot politely served her a plate of food "To keep the baby safe, we decided to bring it with us and we'll raise him if necessary. Alster went to Miracle Sea to contact a friend who can take care of Manaphy in his natural climate"

"So where are we going to keep the egg?" Niko asked as he bit into a waffle "We should probably keep it in someone's tent in case it hatches or a predator Pokemon invades the camp"

"Me and Silvin will keep it in our tent" Priscilla glanced at me "Is that alright with you?"

"I don't see anything wrong with it. Zach, move the nest into our tent please" I pointed to our tent on the far right of camp and the Luxray nodded, bringing the nest over with his teeth. With that settled, we ate breakfast and Zelot told us to watch the egg while the rest of the team heads out on missions. While I was bummed out that me and Priscilla had to sit back in camp and wait, I secretly needed the time to rest. Sleeping on Lapras's shell wasn't very comfortable.

"It's so boring watching the egg and waiting for it to hatch" I sighed as I rested my head on my pillow. Priscilla opened a book next to me and began to read silently "I don't want to sleep in case the egg hatches, but at the same time, I'm too tired to read like you are"

"I could read you a story if you'd like" Priscilla offered, showing me the cover of her book. It showed a Mudkip and Pikachu with a meteor behind them and a shadowy snake-like Pokemon wrapped around it. The title, in yellow print, said "Fateful Saviors".

"It's a Pokemon story about a Mudkip named Alfrin and a Pikachu named Erdalla. The two were in a similar situation to us actually. Alfrin was a former human turned into a Pokemon and awoke into the world with amnesia" Priscilla explained, flipping through the pages "And Erdalla wanted to form a rescue team, but she couldn't find anyone to join her team. Just like how I wanted to make an exploration team, but was too scared to ask people to join me"

"That is eerily similar to our lives in the beginning of Team Skylar" I replied, now intrigued by the story "How does the book go?"

"In the world of Pokemon in this story, natural disasters are occurring more and more frequently than usual, causing an outbreak of bad and agitated Pokemon" The Eevee explained. She locked eyes with me and we knew exactly what that related to here. Grovyle's Time Gear theft also caused a outbreak of mystery dungeons and rogue Pokemon.

"Erdalla, being the kind and caring Pokemon she was, decides to form a rescue team to save Pokemon caught in these natural disasters, as the influx of agitated Pokemon means they are more predators prowling around" Priscilla continued "But she was just one Pokemon in a team. Bummed out that she couldn't find anyone to partner up with her, she takes a walk in Tiny Woods, where she chances upon an unconscious Mudkip"

We locked eyes again. Alfrin's introduction here is exactly like how I ended up in this world. We were both unconscious in an unknown land and found by our eventual partner. The only difference was that Alfrin was found in a forest while Priscilla found me on the beach.

"Erdalla woke up the Mudkip and found out that he had total amnesia, only remembering that his name was Alfrin and that he was once human" Priscilla said. I was utterly shocked by how similar the story was playing out to ours. When Priscilla woke me up on the beach, I also only knew my name and that I was once human.

"Is this story based on true events? Because this is far too similar to our life to simply be a coincidence" I said and Priscilla turned the book around to the back cover, scanning for clues.

"I believe so. Let's see…" Priscilla flipped to the front page, where a message was written in faint gold "This story did happen in real life. It was known as the Meteor Crisis in the early 1900s and though many historians documented it, here is a real genuine description from the "heroes"'s point of view. Whoever is reading this, enjoy and keep the world at peace for your own sake. Signed, Erdalla and Alfrin"

"Is it just me or do I see a faint tear mark on the end of Alfrin's name?" I pointed to the Mudkip's name at the end of the author's note. The white page was slightly darker there, as if the writer shed a tear as they wrote Alfrin's name.

"Huh, I see it too. That's strange" Priscilla frowned and flipped to the end of the book "Did Alfrin maybe-"

Priscilla was interrupted when we heard rustling in the corner of our room. Both of us turned our heads towards the Manaphy egg, which was shaking like it was about to hatch.

"Is the egg… about to hatch?" Priscilla whispered, her voice part excited, part scared. The egg shook a couple more times before cracking open from the top and a small, adorable Manaphy crawled out. It looked at us strangely, then looked around itself with curiosity. Both of us stared at it in stunned silence.

"Momma? Papa?" The baby Manaphy stared at us with blue, adoring eyes and my heart just about melted.

"Aww, he's such a cutie!" Priscilla cooed as she hopped off the bed to hug the baby Manaphy. Manaphy hugged her right back in turn "So… what should we do with him, Silvin?"

"Wah… wah… Waahhhhh!" Manaphy suddenly started bawling and Priscilla backed away in shock. Ezra barged into our tent with a growl of irritation.

"What is all the racket in here- Oh" The Absol stared at the crying Manaphy and me and Priscilla "Okay you two. Go fetch a bowl of Blue Gummis from the central storage tent and two cups of water and milk to feed Manaphy. I'll watch over him while you're gone"

Priscilla breathed a sigh of relief "Thanks Ezra. You're a lifesaver"

"Mm. Just go and get the stuff I listed"

As we left the tent, Manaphy's crying grew louder, as if he thought Ezra was some sort of predator. In response, Ezra gently sang a lullaby that rung through the entire camp. Both me and Priscilla stopped in our tracks and listened intently to Ezra's beautiful singing. Normally, the Absol's voice was cold, sharp and commanding but now it was flowing, gentle and spirited, like a friendly shadow wrapping around someone to comfort them. Ezra's singing told us that she was by no means an angel, but a woman of dark heritage doing good nevertheless.

"Her singing is gorgeous…" Priscilla marvelled "Her voice is that of a goddess"

"My eyes feel heavy… Is she using Sing or something…?" I asked listlessly as I staggered to walk forward "Or is it just Ezra's song and voice that's making me sleepy…?"

Slowly, the Absol's lullaby died down and I heard low snoring from Manaphy in our tent. Ezra stuck her head outside and silently gestured us to hurry up to the storage tent.

"Go already! I didn't sing that lullaby just for you to stand there like village idiots!" Ezra hissed, pointing to the central storage tent with her claw "Manaphy wouldn't be asleep for long if he's this hungry"

We hurried into the storage tent and brought what Ezra requested. When we arrived back to our tent, Manaphy was awake and looked like he was about to start crying again, but upon sight with our bowl of Blue Gummis, his mouth watered.

"He doesn't even know what these are and he's already craving one" I smiled as I picked a gummi out of the glass bowl and fed it to Manaphy. The seafaring Pokemon gobbled it up instantly and grinned at me adoringly.

"You liked that gummi, didn't you?" I tickled Manaphy's chin and he laughed "You want another one?"

"Goomi! Goomi!" Manaphy tried to reach for the gummi bowl in my hand, but I retracted it quickly.

"Oh no, too much gummi is bad for you. Only two, little fellow" I handed Manaphy another Blue Gummi as I turned to Ezra "Eating too many gummis is bad for you, is it? Or is it just a myth?"

"Too much of anything is bad for you" Ezra replied "But gummis are mostly nutritional delicacies made to boost the IQ of Pokemon. Ingesting a lot of preferred gummis will allow you to learn useful skills later on"

"Oh. So that means it's safe for me to feed Manaphy only Blue Gummis?" I asked, reaching into the bowl for another one "Because the only other person who's going to eat these is Alster"

"It's safe, but remember that babies get full much faster than we do. It won't be long before- Welp, there he goes" Ezra was interrupted by Manaphy's light snoring "Looks like you two can handle him now. If he wakes up and starting crying, feed him a gummi to calm him down or have him drink some water or milk. Now if you excuse me, I'll be returning to my tent"

"Thanks for the help Ezra" Priscilla smiled at the Absol "But I wanted to ask something before you leave?"

"Ask away"

"Who taught you to sing like that? Your voice is like a goddess when it's not cold and sharp like it is now"

"My mother sung me that exact lullaby when I was a baby. As for who taught me, I just sang exactly like her. That's all" Ezra's expression changed to nostalgic, then stoic again in an instant "Now don't make me sing again. I was lucky that only you two were here to hear it"

"You shouldn't be embarrassed on your singing voice. Frankly, it was the best I've heard in my life" I said and Priscilla nodded in agreement.

"It is embarrassing. The stoic, calm and cold Ezra being able to sing like an old grandmother? People would see me far too differently" The Absol replied "Perhaps I'll show it when I'm ready, but for now, don't mention this to anyone. I AM capable of singing deadly curses when I want to"

Priscilla swallowed "...Like?"

"Perish Song. It works just like my Perish Torc" Ezra touched her black collar with her claw "If anyone hears me singing that, they'll inevitably die in three minutes. So I'd advise you to keep your promise about not mentioning my singing"

It was hard to swallow that Ezra was willing to threaten our lives, but I nodded anyways "Consider your secret safe then"

"Good. I wouldn't want to sing Perish Song even if you did break your promise" The Absol began walking out of our tent "The lyrics are far too dark and somber, all about death and despair. It ruins my mood"

After Ezra left, me and Priscilla took turns sleeping and watching Manaphy. Our friends came and left to see Manaphy and Zelot and Sara even offered to take over watching the seafaring Pokemon for us to get a break.

"I could tell you two are getting bored of watching over Manaphy, so we'll take over while you two do some missions" Zelot glanced at Sara "Besides, it could be practice for us two"

The Mismagius blushed "Subtleness isn't one of your strong suits Zelot"

"Oh no, I get what you're talking about. Don't worry" I gave the two a dry smile "I would suggest you two to get it on already. It's been two years since you met us"

"S-silvin! Let us decide for ourselves, okay?!" Sara bashfully tried to push us out of our tent and Zelot did it for her. Me and Priscilla went back to bonfire, both of us laughing. We decided to put off missions for the day just to give ourselves a day off, so I went to the training yard to spar with Zach and Henry while Priscilla visited the study to read with Niko and Aria. Over the course of the day, we alternated watch on Manaphy. Aria was enamored by the young seafaring Pokemon, so she was eager with play with him when he woke up, so me, Priscilla and Aria played with Manaphy in the woods nearby for the rest of the day.

"Phew, I think it'll be a good time to return back to camp now" Priscilla glanced at the sun setting behind her "Manaphy looks tired and ready for sleep"

Manaphy yawned in response and rubbed his eyes.

"Let's take him back to camp and settle him in his nest. Two Blue Gummis should be good for dinner" I said and Priscilla nodded, gently taking Manaphy's hand as walking him back to camp. Aria knocked three apples off nearby trees with her tail and handed two of them to me and Priscilla. Manaphy tried to take Priscilla's apple, but the Eevee held it out of reach.

"This is too hard and crunchy for you right now. Maybe when you're older with stronger teeth, you can have one" Priscilla told Manaphy and he slumped in disappointment. Aria just lightly smiled as she bit into her apple. We led Manaphy back to camp and fed him two Blue Gummis before settling him into bed. We had dinner with our friends and soon after, departed to bed as well.

"It's so cute how Manaphy thinks we're his mother and father" Priscilla whispered as Manaphy's snores rang through the tent "We're so vastly different from him, yet he still thinks we're kin"

"Wouldn't it be natural instinct for babies that the first two Pokemon they lay their eyes on are their parents?" I stroked Priscilla's ears, earning me a coo of joy "Zelot was right about this being practice for when we and they have a child"

"W-we?" Priscilla whispered, her voice not fearful or repulsive but a mix of curiosity and excitement "My heart tells me that I want it now, but it also tells me our work as explorers isn't done yet. Perhaps when we retire and know for sure the world is safe"

"Of course. Whenever you wish for it to happen, I'll oblige" I smiled at the Eevee "Let's get some sleep now. Our days are going to be much longer now that Manaphy's here"

"Yep. Goodnight Silvin"

"Goodnight Priscilla"

 **Sorry this took longer than intended. I was volunteering at an archery camp for a week and every day there left me tired and unmotivated to write, so I had to stay off it for a week. Adding onto that was that the Manaphy arc of the postgame is fairly uneventful, so I wouldn't blame you if you found this chapter boring. Coming up next is the Miracle Sea adventure, where Silvin, Priscilla, Henry and Zelot head off to the western sea to reunite with Alster and pick up the Phione Dew to cure Manaphy of his sickness. Favorite and follow if you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out and review if you want to give me constructive criticism or praise. Until next time!**


	41. Chapter 39: Prayers and Miracles

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 39: Prayers and Miracles

The next day, me and Priscilla took Manaphy to the beach, mostly for sightseeing, but partially to check if Alster has returned from the Miracle Sea yet. I didn't think the Miracle Sea would be so far as to merit a day long journey. Not unless something happened to Alster that delayed him.

"Why didn't we take Manaphy here earlier? He loves it here" Priscilla noted as she watched Manaphy laugh to himself whenever a wave splashed him in the face "I suppose its natural though, given that this is his home territory"

"Maybe we should buy a tank full of water for him" I thought aloud "He seems to be more alive and… ethereal when in contact with water"

Priscilla slapped my arm "Silvin, Manaphy isn't a pet fish. You can't just dunk him into a tank like he's a Goldeen!"

"Still, I'm trying to think of a way to incorporate water into Manaphy's living space. It would be beneficial for him" I said as Manaphy slapped the water with his fin, causing a splash that made him giggle. Suddenly, nausea overcame Manaphy's body and he swished uneasily, struggling to stand.

"Manaphy? What's wrong?" Priscilla asked, concerned.

"Mama… papa…?" Manaphy collapsed on the sand, unconscious. Priscilla yelped in surprise and I felt his forehead, alarmed that it was increasingly hot.

"Oh god, he's running a high fever. We need to get him back to camp immediately!" I scooped Manaphy up in my arms and bolted towards the crossroads "Ezra will know what to do!"

"Right behind you! Let's hurry!" Priscilla nodded.

…

"Hmm… this is bad. Manaphy's suffering from an extremely deadly fever" Ezra informed us back at camp "He'll remain unconscious and it'll take his life in a week if not treated. It was likely caused by being in the wrong environment"

"Do you know how to cure him Ezra?" Priscilla asked, desperation clinging to her voice.

"There are millions of different solutions to every illness, but I need guarantees here" Ezra replied, curling her lip "Every alchemist knows of the legendary Phione Dew deep in the Miracle Sea northwest. It's said to be able to cure any illness known to Pokemon"

"So you want us to go to Miracle Sea and find the dew to heal Manaphy?" I summed up.

"More or less. I'll watch over Manaphy while you're gone"

"Alright. Thanks Ezra" Priscilla turned to me "You go grab Zach and Eliana to accompany us to the Miracle Sea while I find Lapras"

"Stay safe on the way!" I called as the Eevee dashed out of camp.

"I'll be fine! Don't worry!" Priscilla shouted back and she quickly disappeared over the crests of the hills.

Ezra quietly went back inside our tent to watch over Manaphy, leaving me to go find Zach and Eliana. It was late morning at the moment, so most of the team has already eaten breakfast and gone off to do missions, resupply or gather information. Zach and Eliana stayed at camp for some reason and I found out why once I reached the Shaymin's tent.

"Are you feeling any better Eliana?" Zach asked as he set down an empty glass medicine bottle Ezra supplied him with "Is your head still swimming?"

"A little bit… it still feels like someone stuffed wet tissue into my brain" Eliana replied, moving to make herself comfortable in her bed "But… maybe a few hours of rest will ease the pain. That is, if I can sleep through the headache"

"It'll be alright. You'll be back to normal in no time" Zach reassured with a smile "How did this happen anyways?"

"I don't know. I woke up today with an intense pounding in my head and my entire body felt weak" The Shaymin slumped lower on her pillow "Maybe it's from exerting so much energy with Seed Flare two days ago in Surrounded Sea. Ezra's still trying to determine the cause"

"In any case, you should get some rest if you can. Sleeping always helps speed up recovery after all" Zach gently pulled Shaymin's white sheets higher over Eliana's body "I'll be around camp if you need me"

"Thank you Zach. You're… very sweet…" Eliana turned over on her side and closed her eyes, quickly snoring lightly in slumber. The Luxray smiled and got up, noticing me at the tent's entrance.

"So… I was going to ask you and Eliana to come along with me and Priscilla to the Miracle Sea today, but I see you're a little busy" I said "Do you know where Zelot and Sara are?"

"No, no, I can come along with you. The medicine Ezra gave me contained a rather strong Sleep Seed extract. Eliana would be in a deep sleep for the entire day" Zach replied, scratching the ground with his claw "But since Eliana's knocked out today, we'll need a fourth member. Perhaps Aria?"

"If I recall, Aria and Henry are doing an escort mission right now for a Bibarel. They have to keep her and her log pile safe or something" I glanced around the camp "So both of them are out. I believe Zelot and Sara are out hunting today?"

"Yeah, they are. Should we go get them?"

"Let's hope we don't fall into any of their traps"

We found the Gallade and Mismagius taking a break by a tall oak tree, with several tied bags of game lying around their feet. Both them and the ground was bloodsoaked, staining the peaceful forest's ground crimson.

"If I didn't know any better, I would of assumed you two were poachers or murderers" I said as I walked up to the duo, wary that my feet were getting soaked by the pool of blood "How much game did you even catch?"

"A lot. Enough to last us a month at the very least" Zelot sat down, wiping the sweat off his brow "What are you two here for? We were just about to come back to camp"

"Manaphy has fallen ill with a life threatening fever that'll kill him in a week…"

"Oh dear! That's terrible!" Sara gasped

"... And we need to go to the Miracle Sea to find Phione Dew to cure him" I explained as me and Zach picked up the heavy bags of mutilated prey "Priscilla's gone to go grab Lapras, so we want you to reinforce us"

"Absolutely. Anything to help Manaphy" Both Zelot and Sara nodded, then they looked over themselves.

"If you don't mind, we'll need to wash ourselves off first though" Sara said "We wouldn't want to dirty Lapras's shell with blood, wouldn't we?"

"Of course. Make it quick though" I glanced at the sky through the shade of the trees "Ideally, I want to depart at sunset at the latest. We don't want to leave Priscilla and Lapras waiting"

"Alright. Give us a few minutes to scrub off the blood while you guys prepare"

Twenty minutes later, Zelot and Sara arrived at the gate with their treasure bags stocked and their bodies clean. We bid farewell and good luck to Ezra and departed to the beach, where Priscilla was waiting for us alongside Lapras.

"Finally. Took you a while to arrive" Priscilla caught the treasure bag I tossed at her "Lapras said we should arrive at the Miracle Sea early in the morning tomorrow. It's quite a fair distance from here"

"Longer than the journey to Blizzard Island and the Surrounded Sea" Lapras added "So I hope you're prepared for a long journey"

"We are. It's nothing we ever dealt with before" I shrugged "Anyways, time's the essence right now. We need to get to Miracle Sea fast"

"Right away. Welcome aboard everyone" Lapras turned around, letting me, Priscilla, Zach and Zelot climb onto his shell. Sara stayed floating in the air. Despite Chatot's warning years ago that bringing more than four Pokemon into a dungeon was dangerous, I truthfully wanted more allies to clear out the dungeon faster. Manaphy's life was on the line and I didn't dare want to waste any time.

"I'll go as fast as I possibly can, but don't expect any light speed like back at the Hidden Land" Lapras told us.

"That's alright. Go at your own pace" Priscilla touched Lapras's neck reassuringly "But please hurry. Manaphy's life is in danger"

"Yes, yes, I've heard it from Silvin's head and your mouth twice now" Lapras shook his head "So let's not make you pester me any longer. Onward!"

Not too long later, the mainland disappeared behind us and there were nothing but clear blue water and the blazing sun approaching the horizon's edge. Zelot and Sara were quietly talking on the edge of Lapras while Zach took a nap. Priscilla was simply gazing at the sky, watching the Wingull fly through the sky.

"You know, being on another journey like this really makes me realize how far we have come" I said as I sat down next to Priscilla "So many years ago, we were just rookies learning the ways of exploration in the Beach Cave"

"I remember teaching you about the various elements about mystery dungeons like the Wonder Tiles and all that" Priscilla gave me a warm smile "And despite you coming to this world and losing your memory, you still prioritized getting back my Relic Fragment from Koffing and Zubat. It's that dedication to duty and helping others that made me so attached to you, I suppose"

"And even now, so many years later, I still haven't gotten back the memories of my past life. Or any clues of who changed me into a Pokemon and stole those memories" I sighed, kicking the water lightly with my feet "But that's not entirely a bad thing. It gives me space to create more memories with you and the team, right?"

"That's being optimistic. Good for you" Priscilla giggled "Still though, I'm curious about your past self. Grovyle mentioned that you're still the same old you from when you were human"

"Your impeccable memory never ceases to amaze me" I smiled "But I see what you're talking about. Grovyle revealed a lot about my human life, but I wonder how I looked like or what my upbringing was. Why was I human? Did humans roam the mainland before Pokemon took over?"

"That last part could be true. Do you remember that Machamp blacksmith who forged boomerang throwing axes and spears?" Priscilla asked "The book I read it from said that he created them for human wars, as Pokemon already had their weapons with their claws, teeth, moves etc"

"So perhaps humans DID walk our land, but they ended up becoming extinct. Like the fossil Pokemon who were annihilated by the meteor" I theorized "Or maybe they slaughtered each other through these wars, leaving nobody left except for Pokemon"

"Could be. Maybe you were a human born in those times, but due to being recruited by Grovyle to save the world, constant jumping through timelines has shielded you from the human extinction" Priscilla grasped my arm "But your identity now is as a young, honest Riolu. Nothing will change that"

"I wouldn't have it any other way Priscilla"

…

One night later, we arrived at the Miracle Sea, which was within range of a huge island with black hills of soot and ash dotting it along with a tall mountain and volcano. Despite landslides of ash falling into the sea constantly, the Miracle Sea kept its sparkling water intact. It was a _miracle_ that the waters weren't completely polluted and sulfurous after being so close to a volcanic island.

"Well, looks like we're here" Priscilla scooped up a pawful of sparkling water and dumped it back "I suppose a dark spot in the water is where we enter the dungeon?"

"Correct" Lapras nodded "And that dark spot should be… right here"

Lapras moved towards a spot facing the infernal island, giving us full view of the Giant Volcano bubbling with lava and Mt Mistral filling the air above us with smog. Any Wingull who flew into the smog cloud instantly dropped into the Miracle Sea, dead as a doornail. A dark spot in the water, similar to Surrounded Sea's one, was easy to see in the sparkling, paradise-like waters of Miracle Sea. It served as the dungeon's entrance and we had to dive down the spot to enter.

"Alright. Me and Silvin will go down first to scour the entrance room for any danger and you guys follow us in afterwards" Priscilla grabbed my hand and stared down the dark spot "Lapras, where will the warp panel take us?"

"On the edge of Hell's Island up ahead" Lapras replied, cocking his head forward "I'll await you there to take you back home, but you'll need to hollar to signal me. I won't be getting anywhere near that infernal ash-covered land"

"That's fine. I can understand that" Priscilla nodded, then turned to me "Ready to go Silvin?"

"Hopefully the water is warmer than Surrounded Sea" I said and both of us plunged into the sea. Thankfully, the water WAS warmer than the frozen sea down south and I dove down to the glowing building that was the dungeon, with Priscilla's warm paw locked in mine. Priscilla reached the dungeon roof first and tapped it with her paw, instantly warping us into the entry room of the dungeon, which was a large square with walls of suspended water and damp ground, exactly like Surrounded Sea. Zelot, Sara and Zach soon dropped into the dungeon as well.

"Well, I'm not going to get used to that easily" Zelot said as Zach shook his mane to get the water out "So I'm assuming this operates as a standard dungeon, but we can just see through the walls and ceiling"

"Worse. Wild Pokemon are easily able to enter through the walls or drop from the roof to ambush us" Priscilla replied, eyes darting around already for any approaching enemy "So I'd say to keep your eyes open and your wits sharp. The bottom of the dungeon should be where we find the Phione Dew, so we need to get there fast"

"What are we waiting for then?" Sara levitated ahead "Let's get moving everyone"

"So explain to me this Priscilla" I said as we moved through the damp dungeon floors "How come there's only one entrance to the dungeon when wild Water type Pokemon can enter through the walls and ceiling at a whim?"

"Who knows? Maybe because we aren't Water type Pokemon, we can only enter through a specific pathway" The Eevee shrugged "Mystery dungeons WERE designed to be accessible to all Pokemon, so Lord Arceus made it so every dungeon has an entrance all Pokemon can use. That's my theory at least"

"I suppose Fire types didn't exist back in Arceus's time because there's no way a Fire type can get into dungeons like these" Zelot gestured around himself "They'll douse and die within seconds of these waters"

"Being a Fire type isn't a luxury in this world" Zach agreed "How many water dungeons did you explore, Silvin and Priscilla?"

"Hmm… let's count quickly. Beach Cave, Drenched Bluff, Waterfall Cave, Craggy Coast, Brine Cave, Surrounded Sea and now Miracle Sea" Priscilla recounted "So that's seven water dungeons throughout our adventure"

"Not only that, there's the Northern Desert and the Quicksand Cave that hamper them" I added "So nine dungeons that Fire types struggle with"

"Ouch. I was thinking of recruiting a Fire type soon, but I doubt they'll want to be taken away from their homeland if THIS much of the world kills them" Zelot remarked "Perhaps it's for the best that we don't recruit one"

"One day, it might happen and by then, I don't think we'll be visiting dungeons like these" I replied "After all, the only good place to recruit Fire type Pokemon is "Hell's Island" nearby us and we're NOT going there anytime soon"

"Agreed. I could feel the sulphurous and poisonous air from Lapras's back and the island was miles away" Sara said "Although rumor has it that one of the Seven Treasures, the Fiery Drum is hidden deep in the Giant Volcano, so we might have to visit it sometime"

"I think I'll have Alster solo that dungeon himself to get the drum" I could feel the sweat gather on my brow just at the thought of the volcano "Because there's no way I'm trekking into the heart of a volcano for that"

"Me neither" Priscilla shook her head and Zelot, Sara and Zach all nodded in agreement.

"So I'm guessing all the enemy Pokemon here are the same as the Surrounded Sea" Zach inferred as he took down a Slowbro with Spark "Just less Ice types since the water here is warmer"

"That seems to be the case. Just the same general Starmie, Octillery, Mantine, Slowbro, Cloyster and Seadra" Priscilla glanced at the top corner of the current room "Although that pod of Sharpedo bother me for some reason. It's like they are watching us"

"In that case, we should hurry down the floors. Watchful Sharpedos are never a good sign" Zelot advised "That means they see you as prey and are waiting for when your guard is down to ambush"

"Yeah, let's get moving then" I turned away from the Sharpedo's glaring yellow eyes and dashed down the watery steps into the next floor, with everyone else following me "We're on floor five right now, so I'm estimating… ten to fifteen more floors"

Zach groaned "Ten to fifteen more floors of this? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that this is a cakewalk so we aren't risking life and limb, but I can complain about a dungeon being tedious right?"

"I see your point, especially since the Surrounded Sea was much the same dungeon" Priscilla agreed "Same environment, same enemy Pokemon. Just different atmosphere"

"Let's wrap this up quickly then" I sighed "I'm definitely not going back to a water dungeon after this anymore…"

Suddenly, a large shadow passed overhead, along with a loud roar. The shadow passed quickly, giving us no time to identify what it was.

"What… what was that?" Priscilla asked in a small voice.

"I don't know. Whatever it is, it's one big Water type Pokemon. Big and dangerous" Zelot watched the shadow disappear in the haze of the water "So not only do we have to watch out for the Sharpedo, but also whatever that is potentially attacking us"

"All the more reason to remain cautious, even if you're familiar with the dungeon" Sara concluded "So let's not leave our guard down, yes?"

Later on the thirteenth floor, we found a unconscious and wounded Kingdra lying on the ground.

"Wait a minute… I recognize this Kingdra" I ran over to the wounded Kingdra and shook him "Alster! Are you alright?!"

"Urrgghh… Silvin…? And… everyone else…?" The Kingdra's snout was pouring blood, so I pulled an Oran Berry from my bag and handed it to him to heal him up "Why are you here?"

"Manaphy hatched and fell sick because he was raised in the wrong environment. We came here to find Phione Dew" I replied, helping Alster get upright "What happened to you though? You look like you've been mauled by a pod of Sharpedo"

"Well, you aren't very far off. I've been attacked by a Gyarados while en route to my friend's area. He's a Walrein" Alster explained "He lives around here"

"Are you able to stand and fight?" Priscilla asked and the Kingdra rose to full height, stretching himself.

"I believe so. That Oran Berry really hit the spot" Alster nodded "I'll lead you to my friend's place and we'll find the Phione Dew from there"

"Sounds good. Let's go!"

Two floors later, Alster took a sharp turn away from the stairway room up ahead, insisting that his friend lived nearby.

"Although mystery dungeons change their layout every visit, certain structures can be built out of rare, but magically infused material to resist the dungeon's tides" Alster explained "Such as my friend, Dabian's home"

We arrived at a decently large house built straight into the dungeon's translucent watery walls. The house was made of dark blue bricks that seemed to pulse with astral blue light. Alster knocked on the door with his snout.

"Dabian! It's me, Alster!" The Kingdra called "Open up please!"

The door opened and a wise looking Walrein revealed himself. A grey beard was growing under his chin, making him look older than he really was.

"Alster! It's been a while!" Dabian grinned "What do you need of me, old friend?"

"I've joined an exploration team and these folk have picked up a Manaphy egg from the Surrounded Sea" Alster explained "You know that young Water type Pokemon must be raised in the right environment, otherwise they become sick"

"That's right. Deadly fevers that can take out a Pokemon in a week, I've heard" Dabian nodded "Ah, so you want me to take care of the young prince until he's strong enough to handle the mainland's environment?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, the Manaphy egg hatched while I was travelling here and fear has came to reality. This here, Team Skylar are trying to find the Phione Dew to cure him" Alster continued.

"Phione Dew… Ah, the legendary cure-all at the bottom of the dungeon. Very few have obtained the dew themselves, I'm afraid" Dabian shook his head "Miracle Sea is a hard and dangerous dungeon to all but the hardiest of explorers"

"Yes… I've experienced it firsthand" Alster winced "But Team Skylar have an Electric type on their side, so I believe they can handle it"

"That they can. Allow me to accompany you down the dungeon then" The Walrein said "More hands and able fighters are always better, no?"

"Of course. Welcome aboard" I smiled.

After three hours of uninteresting dungeon trekking, we finally arrived at the bottom of the dungeon, known as the Miracle Seabed. The ground was a thin layer of water like the rest of the dungeon, but various marine plant life bloomed all over the ground, tickling my feet. The walls around us shimmered in azure blue light, giving the impression that the seabed was protected by a layer of magic to ward off predators. In the middle, a group of Phione were together, giggling. We approached them carefully to not scare them, but before I could speak, a Gyarados barged into the seabed, roaring.

"Well… so much for that layer of protection" Priscilla said dryly as the Phione scattered away, screaming "I guess it only for decoration"

"GRAHH-HA-HA! I FINALLY FOUND YOU AT LAST!" The Gyarados roared, causing several Phione to take cover behind taller plant life "YOU'RE THE PHIONE, RIGHT? YOU MAKE THE CURE-ALL? PHIONE DEW?"

"Y-yes! We do!" One Phione called nervously.

"WELL, REJOICE! FROM NOW ON, YOU ANSWER TO ME!" The Gyarados declared "AS OF NOW, ALL PHIONE DEW BELONGS TO ME! GRAH-HA-HA!"

"Talk about a generic sounding bandit... " Zelot remarked quietly and Gyarados turned to us with a look of surprise.

"OH? NOW WHO MIGHT YOU BE?" Gyarados glared at us with dark red eyes "YOU LOOK LIKE YOU HAVE A BONE TO PICK WITH ME!"

"That's right. We came for the Phione Dew first!" Priscilla shouted "And the dew does not belong to you! It belongs to the Phione, so shove off!"

"HA, ARE YOU ASKING TO BE WRECKED, FOOL?!" Gyarados laughed "GRAH-HA-HA! YOU'RE A MILLION YEARS TOO EARLY TO PICK A FIGHT WITH ME!"

Gyarados looked behind us and grinned with triumph "HA! LOOKS LIKE MORE ARE COMING TO THE FEAST!"

I looked behind us and saw a colony of Sharpedoes charging into the dungeon, breaking the seabed's barrier and appearing several feet between us. The group of dismembered sharp heads chomped their jaws repeatingly, like they were eager to attack. I counted twenty in all.

"No matter how many they are, we have the advantage" I said, glancing to Zach "Zach, rain hell upon them"

"With pleasure" Zach pulsed with electricity and exploded in the flare of electricity, significantly injuring Gyarados and the pod of Sharpedo. While the atrocious Pokemon reared back in pain, roaring, Zelot, Sara and Dabian charged to finish him off, cutting him apart with blasts of Psycho Cut, Shadow Ball and Blizzard. Priscilla, Alster and I dealt with the Sharpedo who survived, taking advantage of their stun thanks to Zach's Discharge. Within seconds of the trio's assault, Gyarados fell onto the seabed's ground with a mighty thud along with the Sharpedo, blood pouring from their many wounds.

"Sorry for that" I apologized as the Phione came out of their hiding spots.

"N-no problem!" One Phione squeaked as he watched Zelot and Zach haul Gyarados's body out of the dungeon "Here, take this thank-you gift for protecting us against Gyarados and the Sharpedo"

The Phione handed me a crystallized water droplet the size of my hand, with a blue jewel inside. The droplet felt like jelly, yet when I squeezed it, it didn't break. This must of been the Phione Dew.

"Thank you very much" I nodded, carefully placing the dew inside a side compartment of my treasure bag "Farewell and stay safe!"

"Bye, bye!" The Phione waved us goodbye as the last of the Sharpedo bodies were taken out of the dungeon. The Phione would have to deal with the blood on their own. We found the warp panel behind the seabed and teleported on the edge of Hell's Island.

"Now where is Lapras…?" I scoured the sea, looking for the transport Pokemon when Sara shouted.

"Watch out! A landslide is coming down!"

A rockfall of ash and soot came tumbling down from the mountainside, but Dabian and Alster formed an ice shield with Ice Beam and Blizzard to halt its advance. The landslide slammed against the shield and cracks began to form quickly.

"This Lapras better show up quickly because we don't have enough PP to outlast the landslide!" Dabian warned as he fired another shot of Blizzard to reinforce the barrier. I squinted further down the horizon and spotted the familiar shape of Lapras.

"LAPRAS! WE'RE OVER HERE!" Both me and Priscilla shouted in unison and Lapras turned his head towards us, noticing the landslide we were holding back. The transport Pokemon raised a tidal wave with Surf behind him, propelling him faster towards us. The tidal wave slammed in front of us, drenching us with seawater and Lapras appeared, panting.

"Come on everyone! Alster and Walrein, follow me from the sea!" Lapras called and the two nodded while the rest of us climbed onto Lapras's back. The transport Pokemon took off at top speed while Alster and Dabian discontinued their ice barrier. They dove into the sea as the landslide broke through and swamped the coastal edge with a thick layer of ash. We were miles away from Hell's Island before I could finally take in a deep breath of air.

"Well, we got the Phione Dew and found Alster and Dabian. I'd say that's a successful mission" Zach remarked "Never going back there again though"

"And absolutely not Hell's Island. We almost died being there for less than a minute!" Priscilla glanced behind us, Hell's Island rapidly disappearing over the horizon "But why do I have the feeling we'll be back there soon…?"

"I feel it too. It's like the island's calling out to me…" I frowned "Maybe it's just fatigue getting to me. I'm going to take a nap"

"Same. It's been a long and tiring day" Priscilla curled up on Lapras's shell, using her treasure bag as a pillow and fell asleep instantly. I drew a blanket from my own bag and covered both of us with it, falling asleep soon after.

When I awoken the next morning, we were within reach of the mainland's beach. Sara handed me and Priscilla a sandwich to eat as the beach grew closer and closer.

"Finally, home at last" Zach breathed a sigh of relief when we stepped off of Lapras and onto the beach. Alster and Dabian soon followed, with Dabian silently looking around him with awe.

"We'll head to camp and cure Manaphy with the dew, then bring him over here for you to take him back to Miracle Sea" I told Dabian "May as well save you the trouble of walking back and forth"

"I'm a slow one on land, so thank you for that" Dabian replied.

"I'll keep him company while you're gone" Alster said "Hurry on and cure Manaphy. The sooner he's cured, the better"

"Right. We'll be back soon" I nodded and we took off towards camp in a hurry. Once we arrived, I immediately rushed over to the infirmary, where Manaphy was lying on a bed with a damp washcloth on his forehead. Ezra nodded to us when we arrived, noticing the Phione Dew in my hand.

"Everyone's dismissed. Go and get some rest" Priscilla ordered and the rest of our friends cleared out of the tent, leaving us alone with Manaphy and Ezra. I slipped the dew into Manaphy's mouth and the seafaring Pokemon opened his yellow eyes, staring at us with a glimmer of relief.

"Mommy… daddy…" Manaphy murmured "Thank… you…"

Manaphy promptly fell asleep again and Ezra informed us that he should be up and well again with a few days of rest.

"Thank goodness. I'm glad he's okay" Priscilla kissed Manaphy's forehead "Let's give Manaphy some rest Silvin"

"Agreed. I have to deliver a message to Alster and Dabian via Henry that Manaphy's going to stay for a few more days" I replied "So you can go to bed first. I'll join you soon"

"Sounds good. See you then"

…

Three days later, we took the newly-awoken Manaphy to the beach, where Alster and Dabian were waiting.

"Sorry for making you wait for so long. We wanted to say goodbye before he had to leave" I said and Dabian shook his head.

"No problem. It gave me time to explore all the wonders of this Treasure Town of yours!" Dabian laughed a hearty laugh "You have a good town here, I'd say. Excellent food!"

"Yes… it really is" Priscilla gently goaded Manaphy in front of us "Manaphy, say hi to Alster and Dabian"

"Hi Alster and Dabian!" Manaphy waved.

"Ah, so this is the Prince of the Seas himself. Adorable little guy" Dabian smiled, then looked at us with a serious look "Are you sure you want me to take and raise him? He seems very attached to you and I'd hate to psychologically hurt him"

"It's for the best. If he stays here, he'll just get sick again and that's risking his own life" Priscilla replied sadly "Please… just take him before I change my mind"

"Of course" Dabian looked down at Manaphy "Hey, little guy. You see the sea out there?"

"Sea? That's the sea?" Manaphy stared at the waves with awe and curiosity.

"That's right. You were born in the sea" Dabian continued, slowly moving Manaphy into the water "And you have to be raised in it. If you don't, you'll get sick again. You don't want that, right?"

"No, but…" Manaphy turned to me and Priscilla "Can mommy and daddy come with us too?"

"No, I'm sorry" Dabian apologized "They aren't Water type Pokemon and they have their own lives to live. They can't come with us"

"B-but… I want mommy and daddy with me!" Manaphy broke from Dabian's grip and ran over to hug me and Priscilla, while both of us struggled to hold back the tears "Mommy! Daddy! Please don't go!"

"I'm sorry Manaphy. I'm sorry" Priscilla sniffled, patting Manaphy's back "You have to be raised in the sea. It's the only way you can grow up and live free and happily"

"W-will I ever see you again?" Manaphy asked.

"We will. I know it" I said, smiling through the tears "Me and mommy both want you to grow up strong and healthy in the sea. Be good and listen to Dabian. For us, okay?"

"When you get older… don't forget us" Priscilla whispered.

Alster looked on with a look of sorrow "Prolonging this will only get worse. Dabian, please…"

"Right" The Walrein nodded "Silvin, Priscilla, it's time"

"I know" We let go of Manaphy, who had tears in his bright yellow eyes "Don't forget us Manaphy. Please"

"I… I won't. G-goodbye mommy and… daddy" Manaphy let himself be dragged off into the sea by Dabian, all the while staring at us with tearfilled eyes. Priscilla hugged me and sobbed into my shoulder while I myself let my tears flow while comforting the Eevee. Alster departed back to camp, respecting our privacy.

"We'll… we'll see him again, right?" Priscilla murmured as she wiped her eyes profusely.

"I hope we do Priscilla. I hope we do…"

 **Rereading the script for this chapter reminds me how sad the Manaphy departure scene is. I hope I captured it's feelings of sadness and sorrow well. Coming up next is the Aegis Cave adventure (Aka the worst part of the postgame story) If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to give me constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time!**


	42. Chapter 40: The Aegis Puzzle

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 40: The Aegis Puzzle

A couple days after Manaphy's departure, me and Priscilla resolved to visit the guild to take on a mission to clear our heads. Manaphy leaving has been heavy on everyone's hearts, especially mine and Priscilla's so we've been taking more days offs than we deserved. It was time to get back to business and continue working.

"Huh? Where are all the guild members?" Priscilla looked around the first floor in confusion. It was true. Everyone on the first floor was gone off the face of the earth. Even Chimecho's Assembly stand was vacated.

"Maybe downstairs?" We climbed the ladder down to the second floor to find all the guild members staring at three Pokemon like they were celebrities. Well, I couldn't exactly blame them for staring. The three Pokemon were a Gardevoir, Lopunny and Medicham, two of them being near-divine deities of beauty and sexiness around the world. Medicham wasn't so bad herself either.

"Silvin, they're…" Priscilla stared at me with a look of disbelief and partial horror. I took her paw in my hands gently.

"No need to worry Priscilla. You'll always be the best in both looks and personality to me" I replied soothingly in a low voice and the Eevee smiled fondly. Meanwhile, the guild members were practically swarming the three women with compliments and requests.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe they're here, in the guild, in the flesh!" Sunflora cried out in joy.

"They're the real deal, by golly!" Bidoof agreed.

"Wow! Can I get your autographs, PLEASE?" Loudred begged and I covered my hand over my face to ward away the embarrassment. Sometimes, I wished I wasn't afflicted with a guild like this.

"Hey Chatot. Who are those Pokemon and why is everyone in the guild swarming them?" Priscilla asked and Chatot stared at us like we came from the moon.

"Have you been living under a rock or something? That lovely trio right there is Team Charm, the ultra-famous treasure hunters!" Chatot explained "They've earned the Master Rank, which is reserved solely for teams of extraordinary merit"

"Wait, what rank is our team on?" I wondered aloud.

"Ultra Rank. It's indicated on the explorer badge" Priscilla tapped her explorer badge, with the gemstone gleaming dark orange "So if Team Charm's Master Rank, they must have a black explorer badge with an onyx as the gemstone"

"Right. Anyways, Team Charm are expert and famous treasure hunters, not only for discovering treasure" Chatot continued "Strong, smart and beautiful. These three traits in their team is what makes them celebrities"

"Gee, I wonder why…" I murmured under my breath, staring at Gardevoir and Lopunny.

"The gorgeous one in the middle is Lopunny, the one with the long ears" Chatot said, pointing to Lopunny with his wing "Next to her is the serenely elegant Gardevoir. Ah, she's so beautiful…"

Chatot seemed to be lost in his daydreaming after that.

"Uhm... Chatot? Chatot?" Priscilla snapped Chatot back awake "And the third one?"

"Ah right. Sorry" Chatot pointed to the girl on the right "That's Medicham. She's the physically strongest of the group and always moves as if she's dancing. Incredibly cool!"

"Why is such a high-prestige team visiting here anyways?"

"That's the same question I'm asking, Silvin"

"Hiya! What are you three doing here?" Wigglytuff opened the doors of his chambers and everyone ceased their fangirling/boy-ing(?) of Team Charm, making way for their guildmaster.

"Oh! Wigglytuff, darling! It's been such a long time, sweetie!" Lopunny gushed with a dazzling smile.

"Seeing you as a Guildmaster… Imagine that! That's amazing!" Medicham chimed in.

"It has been a long time Wigglytuff" Gardevoir said in a calm voice "I hope you've been well"

"Yup. Long time no see!" Wigglytuff replied in his usual cheerful voice "Have you all been well?"

Beside them, Loudred watched with confusion "Long time no see…? That means…?"

"Guildmaster, are you already acquainted with Team Charm?" Sunflora asked.

"Oh, Wigglytuff was such a go-getter back in the day" Medicham giggled "He was something else. Nobody could beat him"

"Absolutely. He was a beast to behold in his youth" Lopunny agreed.

"Uhm… Guildmaster?" Chatot asked with a puzzled expression "How do you know the beauties of Team Charm personally?"

"Well, they're my friends. Friends from a long time ago" Wigglytuff stared into space briefly, likely reminiscing on long memories.

"That's right. We were exploration partners with Wigglytuff" Lopunny confirmed and everyone gasped in shock.

"WHAT?!"

"The Guildmaster and… Team Charm…?" Chatot was at a loss for words.

"So, what brings you three here today?" Wigglytuff asked carefreeingly, as if he didn't know or care that Team Charm were international celebrities.

"How astute of you. We came here for an important matter" Gardevoir answered, clasping her hands together "Remember when we explored together a long time ago, we discovered a mysterious key? At the time, we didn't know what the key was for, but now, we finally found out where it can be used"

"You see, we discovered a place called the Aegis Cave. That key is the perfect fit for the keyhole at it's entrance" Medicham gestured to Gardevoir "Gardy here was able to replicate the key with her illusion magic to confirm it"

"What's more, Aegis Cave is rumored to contain a whole trove of treasure" Lopunny added "So I'd like to ask you Wigglytuff, darling. That key we found… do you still have it?"

Wigglytuff tilted his head to the side in thought "...Key? What kind of key? Uhm… I don't remember. Ha ha ha!"

"Hey! We went through a lot to get that key!" Medicham scolded in anger "Don't tell me you lost it!"

Gardevoir sighed "That's typical for Wigglytuff. Some things haven't changed, it seems"

"Maybe this'll help his brain get going" Lopunny produced a glittering golden box from her treasure bag and presented it to Wigglytuff "Here Wigglytuff. A gift for you"

"It's your favourite. A Perfect Apple" Gardevoir said as Wigglytuff opened the box with a cry of joy.

"Wow! A Perfect Apple? Just for me?" Wigglytuff took the apple and balanced it on his head like usual "Yay! Thank you so much!"

"So… about that key?" Gardevoir asked as Wigglytuff began to dance with the apple on his head. Wigglytuff frowned for a moment, then stamped his foot down.

"Oh! I remember now! That key! The one that was shaped like an Unown!" Wigglytuff nodded "I'll go look!"

Wigglytuff left his Perfect Apple behind, incredibly unusual for him and ran into his chambers.

"How long do you think he'll tak-"

"YOOM-TAH!"

"Eek!"

An explosion rocked the guild, sending bits of rock and dust raining from the ceiling and Wigglytuff nonchalantly walked out of his busted chambers with a charred black key in hand.

"Here you go!" Wigglytuff handed Lopunny the key without any hesitation, despite the fact he blew up his own room and scared the entire guild and Team Charm for it.

"Ah, this is it! Thank you so much" Lopunny grinned as she accepted the key "This'll open the way into Aegis Cave"

As Wigglytuff put his Perfect Apple back on his head, Lopunny continued "Say, why don't you come along with us? It'll be just like old times"

"Yay! A Perfect Apple! Thank you!" Wigglytuff babbled on senselessly and Team Charm slumped, exasperated.

"You really haven't changed, didn't you…" Gardevoir sighed.

"Well, we'll be going then. See you, Wigglytuff!" Team Charm made their way towards the ladder before Priscilla stopped them.

"Excuse me. You wouldn't mind if we went exploring with you, right?" Priscilla asked, casting a look of "Not for the reason you're thinking of" at the other guild members "Both me and my partner are curious of what's in Aegis Cave"

"ME TOO!" Loudred shouted.

"And me!" Diglett piped up.

"Oh my gosh! I want to go too!"

"Aww, you're all so earnest and eager. You all are so adorable" Lopunny gushed, then grinned "Of course you can come with us!"

All the guild members cheered in excitement.

"Okay sweeties, we'll go ahead and unlock the entrance. You'll follow us in afterwards. The cave is located southeast of here" Lopunny instructed "Take this time to go prepare, alright? Toodles!"

And Team Charm left, letting me and Priscilla to plug our ears over the guild's extremely fangirling/boying.

"Let's go to town and prepare, then take two members from our team before departing" Priscilla told me over the chaos "Gods, I hope the guild members are the only ones who's like this around Team Charm"

"I'm afraid that won't be the case" I grinned "Let's see how many fanboys and girls we could find in Treasure Town"

Much to Priscilla's dismay and embarrassment, everyone in Treasure Town save for Ms Kangaskhan was a fan of Team Charm. Everyone nearly bolted towards the crossroads before Priscilla yelled that Aegis Cave was a dangerous place for under trained Pokemon like them. That thankfully reined them back to their stands, although in a grumpy mood.

"At least they value their lives more than Team Charm. That's a plus" I noted as I took the storage key from Ms Kangaskhan's hand.

Kangaskhan smiled apathetically "I just don't understand what these people see in Team Charm. They're beautiful and skilled sure, but their pride and arrogance needs some cutting down! I heard a rumor that Team Charm hunts down any female Pokemon more beautiful than them, you know"

Priscilla frowned "I hope that's a rumor. Otherwise, all the girls in our team and you would be in trouble"

"Aww Priscilla, you're too sweet. Modest too" Kangaskhan gushed "Anyhow, you two should be going to the storage room. Wouldn't want to keep Team Charm waiting. They're an impatient bunch"

"Right. Thanks for reminding us" I nodded and made my way towards the storage room in the back, where we withdrew and stored items. Me and Priscilla sorta made a Treasure Bag protocol when we organize. Four Apples, four Oran Berries, four Reviver Seeds, 99 Iron Thorns sewn tight in a bag so we don't prick ourselves, two of each utility seed like Stun, Sleep, Hunger etc, two of each utility orbs like Escape, Petrify and Foe-Hold. Of course, we brought our exclusive items too. After we gave our storage key back to Kangaskhan, we went to Duskull Bank.

"If only I didn't pursue the bank industry and trained instead, I could of joined Team Charm on their exploration" Duskull grumbled discontently as he took Priscilla's sack of Poke and emptied it in one of the many safes behind him "Bring me back an autograph, will you?"

"Uhm… we'll try to remember" I replied slowly as me and Priscilla turned to leave the bank stand "Thanks as always"

"My pleasure"

"Good lord Arceus. I really hope our teammates aren't like this" Priscilla said as we walked through the dry dirt road leading back to our camp "Otherwise, I'd die of embarrassment by being associated with these Team Charm-obsessed fans"

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that" I smiled lightly "So who should we bring with us to explore Aegis Cave?"

"Since it's a cave, I'm assuming there'll be Rock, Steel and Fighting type Pokemon mainly. Zelot can easily handle all three of those" Priscilla replied "We could bring Sara along since her and Zelot are paired together. Think of it as… a lover bonus I suppose"

"So you're saying both of them would fight harder because they have each other in the same vicinity?" I lightly patted Priscilla's head "I can see that. After all, I know that I feel stronger when you're nearby"

"Same to you Silvin" The Eevee smiled, nuzzling me from the head pat "So we're bring Zelot and Sara along to Aegis Cave?"

"Sounds like it. Let's see if they're available to come"

Fortunately, nobody at camp has even heard of Team Charm due to them originally being from the wild mystery dungeons and the Treasure Town townsfolk being quiet about them, since this was apparently Team Charm's second visit to the town. The first was twenty years ago. Zelot and Sara were delighted to come explore with us, as they mentioned Aegis Cave as the first unexplored dungeon they've been to in years.

"We've been around the entire continent on our bounty hunting jobs" Zelot said as we left camp with travelling bags in tow "Hell's Island, the southern coast, the northern mountains, you name it"

"While bounty hunting is bloody business, it gave us the opportunity to explore the entire world. So it wasn't all hunt and murder" Sara added, adjusting the brim on her Magic Hat "Honestly though, I'm glad we found you and Priscilla at Fogbound Lake. It gave us a new life to live that didn't include killing for a living"

"Well, we still kill wild Pokemon on the regular whenever we take a rescue mission. Outlaw captures could include killing the lawbreaker's goons as well" Zelot replied "So murder is still in our blood, but it's being used for the right case now"

"That it is" Sara glanced at me and Priscilla's perplexed expressions "I know what you're thinking of right now. Bounty hunting isn't the same as capturing outlaws and criminals here. Bounty hunting… it's a cover up term for assassinations. Pokemon put up wanted posters at the guild notice board for anyone they want dead. Doesn't matter if they're evildoers or not"

"So when me and Sara signed up to be bounty hunters, we didn't know what we were getting into. Perhaps the hunters who came by our village on that fateful day were assigned to assassinate the bandits" Zelot shrugged "Or they just did it out of good will. None of us would know"

"Why didn't you two quit?" Priscilla asked.

"Both me and Sara were young at the time and we were still blinded by rage over the murder of our parents. We were naive and wanted to take down any Pokemon said to be a lawbreaker" Zelot mused, reminiscing on distant memories "So both of us just… ignored the cruelty of our work and only realized it once we were older. It was our only source of income so… we couldn't stop"

"So the lesson to learn today is: Know what kind of work you're getting into. Don't trust anyone instantly and don't take a job if your gut says it's shady. Important info for being an exploration and rescue team" Sara stared at the long dirt path ahead "Oh look at us lecturing you like this. You two probably already know this kind of stuff, don't you?"

"The part about not instantly trusting anyone or taking a job if it seems shady. We already know that" I replied, then turned to Priscilla "Remember Drowzee? He acted like a nice Pokemon at first but wanted only to use Azurill to get the treasure on Mt Bristle"

"Yeah, that's one example. We thankfully haven't encountered any fake or shady job requests yet" Priscilla sighed "You know what, let's talk about something else. All this chat about distrust, murder, betrayal and assassination is really messing up my mood"

Sara laughed "You're right. Guess we can talk about the weather, our surroundings, the Aegis Cave exploration, Team Charm, plans for the team… anything but what we discussed before"

"Anything but that" Priscilla agreed with a smile.

…

Six hours later, we arrived at the Aegis Cave southeast. The entrance to the cave was open, leading into a hall lit by magical torches and made of a strange brick that was as clear as ice. The hallway opened up to a chamber with an stone tablet, with strange letters inscribed in the smooth rock.

"There you are. Welcome to Aegis Cave" Lopunny greeted us as we stepped into the chamber "Beyond here is uncharted territory. A place nobody has ever stepped foot in before. Isn't that exciting?"

Among Team Charm was Bidoof, Corphish and Loudred from the guild, who all nodded enthusiastically, probably ecstatic that they were exploring with the three celebrities themselves.

"Hey, hey, this tablet here looks pretty important!" Corphish pointed to the tablet in the center of the chamber. Near the top were three oval-shaped holes gouged out on the rock.

"I bet it's a clue that leads further in. No dungeon like this would be a simple walk and take" Gardevoir speculated.

"I'll solve that mystery. You just watch me now!" Medicham boasted and charged headfirst into the darkness of the dungeon ahead. Lopunny called out to her while Gardevoir slapped her forehead in disappointment.

"Medicham, come back!" Lopunny yelled, then sighed as she turned to us "Ah well. We'll catch up to her eventually. Anyways, before we go, we'd like to know your team name"

"Team Skylar" I answered and Lopunny grinned.

"Aww, it's a cute name. Suiting for you four" Lopunny smiled before glancing at Gardevoir "Well, I believe we should be going now. Medicham wouldn't solve the mystery on her own, that's for sure"

"May we meet again, Team Skylar" Gardevoir nodded to us "May the best win the treasure first"

And with that, the two strode into the dungeon, leaving us with the guild party.

"Wait! I'm coming to! Wait up!" Loudred bolted into the dungeon as well, with Corphish and Bidoof dashing after him. Priscilla decided to have us hold back for her to inspect the tablet for a while.

"Hmm… three empty oval-like holes in the tablet and the material creating this cave looking like ice…" Priscilla murmured thoughtfully as she rubbed her foot on the ground "This reminds me of the when we placed the Time Gears on Temporal Pinnacle's altar"

"So does that mean we have to find three oval-shaped items in the dungeon and insert them into the tablet?" Zelot guessed "My theory is that the mystery dungeon up ahead loops back here and we can only proceed if we can activate the tablet's magic to bring us higher or deeper into the dungeon"

"We aren't solving anything just standing here, so let's get a move on into the dungeon" I said "Wouldn't want Team Charm or the guild getting the treasure first, don't we? We got a reputation to uphold"

"Alright. I'm sure we'll figure out something while we're in there" Priscilla shrugged and we entered the mystery dungeon. Immediately, the walls reformed in the way dungeons do to create an elaborate maze with multiple floors and wild Pokemon roaming about. This time, the walls were made of the same ice-like material and the only wild Pokemon were Unown, which Sara and Zelot reassured us that they were weak.

"Unown are incredibly weak individually. They are only strong when in large numbers like twenty or more" Sara explained as she blasted a row of Unown clinging to the walls with Shadow Ball "However, be wary of their Hidden Power. The type of their Hidden Power is random, so it may phase through Priscilla if it's Ghost type or cause lethal damage if it's Fighting type"

"Got it. So just nail them down before they unleash their Hidden Power" I summed up as I split an Unown I in half with Bite, dropping a strange blue stone in the process "Huh? What's this?"

I picked up the stone, which was smooth and oval in shape. The letter I was written in white on the top "Hey, do you think this fits on the tablet at the entrance?"

"Looks to be. So that means…" Priscilla touched the icy-looking walls "There were three holes on the tablet. Our surroundings look to be made of ice. That means we have to find the stones with the letter I, C and E to spell out ICE"

"Okay, guess I should pocket this one then. We only need to hunt out the C and E Unowns now and hope they got a stone" I gritted my teeth at the thought "Oh boy, we'll be here for a while"

"Depending on how lucky we are, we'll be here for a LONG time" Sara sighed "Hope we packed enough food to hold out if we get stuck"

"If Zelot's theory is correct and the dungeon loops back to the entrance, we can always go out to the local village or forest and restock" Priscilla reassured "So food isn't an issue. It's just getting to the treasure before Team Charm does. They're legendary treasure hunters for a reason, you know"

"In that case, why don't we split up?" Sara suggested "Me and Zelot will go off and hunt for C and E stones while you two do the same. Assuming the dungeon loops back to the entrance, we should meet up there once we got the stones"

"Sounds good. Stay safe!" I called as the two dashed off.

"You too!"

It was a tiring and tedious process, but we were eventually lucky enough to find a C and E stone, along with a handful of other keystones. Priscilla told me to keep them just in case the next section of the dungeon required the same stones. As Zelot theorized, the dungeon came back to the entrance once we exited. Priscillal looked behind her in confusion and realized that behind us led back into the dungeon while the path ahead went in. The original entrance disappeared entirely.

"Oh no… Silvin, the entrance is gone" Priscilla said gravely, struggling to hold back her panic "We have to get out of here fast before we starve. I didn't spot any apples or berries in the dungeon"

"That's fine. We'll just ration our current food and attempt to expend less energy in the dungeon by using items" I replied calmly "Don't worry Priscilla. We'll be out before you know it. Besides, if things REALLY go south, we always have Escape Orbs"

"Oh right, I forgot about those" Priscilla smiled sheepishly "We never use them, so I thought we were trapped here for good"

"There's always a way out if you search hard enough" I nodded, then turned my head back at the sound of footsteps.

"Well, aren't you two quick?" Zelot and Sara entered the room, Zelot having two blue stones in his hands "We found the C and E stones"

"Same. We also found more keystones that we can use for the other puzzles later on" I said as I reached into my treasure bag and brought out a handful of keystones. I carefully searched for the I stone and inserted it into the first hole on the tablet while Zelot pushed in the C and E stone, spelling out ICE.

"There's instructions down here written in Unown letters" Priscilla murmured, then turned to Sara "Do you know how to read it? I haven't gotten time to study it yet"

"Well, don't you worry because I know how" Sara grinned then approached the tablet, scanning it carefully "So the tablet here says that once we inserted the correct keystones, someone has to stand in front of it and close their eyes"

"Guess I'll do it" I volunteered and stepped up to the tablet. As the others stepped aside, I shut my eyes and held my hands together as if I was praying. The tablet responded to me and the glowed with mystical purple light, eventually flaring in a burst of white light. When it faded, stairs leading down appeared.

"Well, it's just as Gardevoir suspected. The dungeon is a neverending loop forward and you can only proceed by going down" I said as I stepped down the stone steps "Come on everyone"

The stairs led down to an empty chamber made of the same ice-like material. In front of us was a golem-like being, staring at us with yellow dots for eyes. It's entire body was made of solid clear ice.

"Betting you 500 Poke that it'll come alive and attack us" Zelot said and the golem stirred, the yellow dots blinking to life "Yep, saw that one coming"

"IF YOU WANT TO GO ON, SHOW ME THAT YOU HAVE THE POWER" The golem intoned in a nasal-like voice that sounds like metal scraping against metal "I AM REGICE, THE GOLEM OF UNMELTABLE ICE! COME, SHOW ME YOUR STRENGTH!"

"Fire may be useless against you, but what about Fighting?" I pulled out a Stun Seed and tossed it at Priscilla "You three, distract him while I arm up my Focus Punch. That should shatter him easily"

"Will do. Let's go!" Priscilla bounded behind Zelot and Sara as they charged at Regice to attack. My arm heated up with the boundless energy of Focus Punch while the trio brawled with the ice titan, avoiding blasts of ice shards and glacial beams. Sara closed her eyes and formed Shadow Ball in the air, launching it at Regice with enough force to shatter a boulder. However, the Shadow Ball simply ricocheted off Regice and back at the Mismagius, smashing into her hard.

"Sara!" Zelot faced Regice again with newfound fury "Priscilla, get ready to set up the Stun Seed shot!"

The Gallade swiftly brought his arm blade down onto the golem's head with Brick Break, knocking it back and making it stagger. Priscilla threw her Stun Seed into Regice's face and left it stumbling around in confusion, muttering gibberish like it was going haywire.

"Silvin! Are you done charging Focus Punch yet?!" Zelot called as he rushed to Sara's aid "Hurry up before it recovers!"

I nodded to Zelot and dashed forward with my empowered fist, smashing it straight into Regice's face. The golem buzzed like a machine being dunked in water and broke down in a series of explosions as cracks spread all over it's body from my attack. Nothing was left but bits and pieces of the ice golem. Up ahead, the wall crumbled to reveal a path leading deeper into the cave. Zelot healed Sara with an Oran Berry and together, we moved into the new section of Aegis Cave.

"The material of the cave changed to a more ordinary rock now. That must mean…" Priscilla observed as we approached the new stone tablet. This one had four holes on the top, with the same instructions written underneath in Unown letters "... The code here is ROCK and the guardian of this section is Regirock, the golem of unbreakable stone and earth"

"So by know that, we can deduce the final section of Aegis Cave then" Sara adjusted her Magic Hat "The final golem of the Regi trio is Registeel, the golem of indestructible steel. The end of the dungeon should house the trio master of the Regis, Regigigas. Also known as the golem who pulled continents together"

"That would mean the code for the next section is STEEL" I dug around the keystones in my bag and pulled them out, discarding the ones we didn't need "And I'm assuming the final section's code is… what type is Regigigas exactly?"

"Not sure. It's not obvious in its name" Priscilla pointed to the scattered keystones on the ground "It's probably best we kept these just in case"

"Alright then" I bent down to pick up the stones when I heard three pairs of footsteps entering the new area.

"Great work back there. You four were superb in battling the guardian" Lopunny praised as Team Charm arrived on the scene.

"I don't remember seeing you three in the Regice chamber. How did you see us fighting it?" Priscilla asked, confused.

"Gardevoir here is an expert on surveillance magic. She can track anyone she likes as long as she has seen them once" Medicham explained as Gardevoir gathered her hands together to create an astral vision, showing Loudred, Corphish and Bidoof trudging through the ice section of Aegis Cave, confusion marking their faces. Priscilla was initially worried for them, but I reassured her that they'll find the tablet gone at the entrance and just follow us in.

"So if you don't mind, we'll be tracking you and the guild party's progress. Don't worry. It's not like we're spying or anything" Lopunny smiled "We're just… using it to check in every once in a while. See where you guys are"

"Why am I unable to fully believe that…" Zelot murmured under his breath and Gardevoir giggled, shutting off her vision.

"Believe me. I can only maintain the vision for five minutes max before I feel like I'm going to pass out. Breaching dimensional barriers and sending a spiritual eye to watch you four is a lot of work, you know" Gardevoir said "Anyways, I think we should be going now. Lopunny? Medicham?"

"Right. It's time for us to go. See you later!" Lopunny waved us goodbye as Team Charm entered the dungeon. I dug through our keystone collection in my hand, searching for R, O, C and K.

"We have an R and K stone. We still need O and C" I reported as I set aside the R and K stone in a different pocket in my treasure bag "So we need to go into the dungeon to search for those"

"So we'll use the same strategy as last time? Splitting up and meeting back at the entrance?" Sara asked.

"Yep. Let's hurry along then" I stared into the darkness of the dungeon up ahead "We got a minor lead over Team Charm, but who knows if they have three stones ready?"

"Standing here isn't going to maintain that lead, so let's get moving" Zelot reminded me and I nodded, leading the team into the darkness of the rock section.

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 61_

 _Moves: Force Palm, Focus Punch, Dig and Bite_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 58_

 _Moves: Quick Attack, Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut and Bite_

 _IQ Level: ****_

 _\- Zelot, Gallade_

 _Level 59_

 _Moves: Psycho Cut, Brick Break, Leaf Blade and Night Slash_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Sara, Mismagius_

 _Level 57_

 _Moves: Shadow Ball, Magical Leaf, Psychic and Thunderbolt_

 _IQ Level: ****_

 **Welcome to the worst dungeon in PMD2: Aegis Cave. As if this game wasn't RNG dependent enough, this dungeon requires you to hunt down certain letters of Unown and grab their keystone matching their letter. Sadly, not all the Unowns carry keystones so even if you find the correct Unown, they aren't guaranteed to give you what you need, so you'll likely need to rerun through the dungeon multiple times to get the right keystone. It's extremely luck reliant and if you're an unlucky fellow (like yours truly) you'll be here for as long as four hours, continuously murdering Unown after Unown, praying that it'll drop the right keystone. I always cheated the keystones into my inventory if I'm emulating the game or find a wonder mail mission awarding them to avoid this. Coming up next is the rock and steel sections of Aegis Cave along with the big boss battle at the end. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to give me constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time!  
**


	43. Chapter 41: The Golem's Secret

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 41: The Golem's Secret

The rock section of Aegis Cave passed quickly, seeing as Zelot and Sara easily found an O stone near the start of the dungeon and after we split off, I managed to catch a C stone to complete the set of ROCK. Priscilla suggested that we hunt for an S, T, two E's and an L stone while we were still in the dungeon.

"It'll let us skip the steel section of Aegis Cave and maintain a good lead over Team Charm, assuming they didn't have spare stones to complete the code" Priscilla said "So what do we have right now?"

"Two E's and one L. We need the S and T stones" I replied as I dug through my spare pile of keystones "I wish someone invented some form of communication that doesn't involve magic like Gardevoir's. It would be nice to have Zelot and Sara look around as well"

"You think your aura ability can do something like that?" The Eevee asked and I shook my head. I didn't think I would hear Priscilla mention my aura after not using it for so long, but I knew for a fact it couldn't detect others and communicate with them.

"As far as I know, my aura can only sense incoming Pokemon and detect if someone's of good or bad intention" I opened my palm and a wisp of blue fire appeared "I can also use aura to empower my attacks and create light, but not communicate with faraway people"

"That's a shame. Guess we'll have to find the S and T stones on our own then" Priscilla reached into her treasure bag and pulled out a gleaming blue orb with a brown rectangle marked on the top "This One-Room Orb will collapse all the walls on the current floor, letting us expose all the Unown around here. I'll cut them down with Vacuum Wave while you collect the keystones they drop"

"Pray that our luck works in our favor" I said as the Eevee shattered the orb on the ground, releasing a blinding flash that turned all the walls into dust, showing us a group of seven Unown scattered throughout the floor. The Unown widened their eyes in surprise before glowing with the power of Hidden Power, but Priscilla's fur bristled and she unleashed a barrage of air blades in all directions, taking down the Unown easily. I dashed around the room and picked up any keystones I could find while mopping up the weakened Pokemon who weren't Unown, like the Machoke and Zubat. Out of seven Unown, I ended up with three keystones: An I, P and T.

"Well, we got the T stone at least. Let's move to the next floor and see if we can find an S" I threw away the I and P stone and pocketed the T stone before moving to the next floor with Priscilla, which brought us back to the lobby room with the stone tablet.

"Oh… guess that was the end of the dungeon" Priscilla slumped discontentedly "We would waste too much time going back in to hunt for the S stone, so let's wait for Zelot and Sara to return before proceeding"

"Lucky for all of us, we're back and I found an S stone near the end" Zelot announced as he and Sara came into the main chamber "So assuming the next code is STEEL, we need the another T, two E's and an L. Do you have them Silvin?"

"Yep. That means we can skip the steel section and immediately get to the Registeel fight" I dug out my R, C and K stones while Zelot inserted the O stone into the tablet. Once the code was complete, I stood in front of the tablet like usual and closed my eyes. The tablet resonated with the keystones and glowed with azure blue light before fading into thin air, revealing a staircase leading downwards. We walked down the staircase and arrived in the Regirock chamber, which was made of smooth brown rock and lit by torches. A golem made entirely of rocks stood in front of the pathway leading towards the steel section, it's yellow dots lifeless and empty.

"Alright everyone. We'll use the same strategy as last time" I said as my fist heated up with Focus Punch "Zelot and Sara, wear Regirock down with Brick Break and Magical Leaf while Priscilla cripples it with seeds. Once there's an opening, I'll finish it off with Focus Punch"

"Something to note is that Regirock's defenses are opposite of Regice's. Special attacks will do better here compared to physical ones" Zelot reminded me "So watch out for Regirock's counter attack should he survive"

"Good to know. Well, look like the sleeping giant's awake now" I watched Regirock's yellow dots blink to life and it rose from the ground, swinging around it's pillar-like arms as if it was stretching.

"IF YOU WANT TO GO ON, SHOW ME YOUR POWER" Regirock intoned in the same metal-like voice Regice had "I AM REGIROCK, THE GOLEM OF UNBREAKABLE EARTH. COME AND BREAK YOURSELF UPON ME!"

Regirock glowed with faint yellow light and several boulders appeared out of the ground with Ancient Power. The golem swung his arms forward and the boulders rocketed straight towards us. Zelot, Sara and Priscilla rushed ahead, shattering the boulders one by one with physical and special attacks. Zelot slammed Regirock's head with Brick Break, but the golem was barely fazed and countered with a strong Hammer Arm, sending the Gallade staggering back. Regirock slammed it's arm on the ground, calling a cluster of stones with Stone Edge to slash Zelot's back.

"Oh no you don't!" Sara summoned a tornado of Magical Leaf to swirl around Zelot and intercept the incoming shards of rock before sending them like a storm of darts towards Regirock. While the golem was kept at bay by Magical Leaf, Priscilla threw her Sleep Seed and sent Regirock to a blissful slumber.

"Now Silvin!" The Eevee called and I dashed forward to slam my Focus Punch into Regirock's head. However, instead of shattering, the golem buzzed awake and crashed it's heavy arms into my chest with Superpower, sending me flying to the back of the chamber. I hit the wall with a heavy crunch and landed on the ground twitching, struggling to move my broken body forward.

"Zelot and Sara, deal with Regirock. I'm helping Silvin!" Priscilla commanded in a forceful tone before running over to assist me. Zelot dueled up close while Sara kept Regirock on it's toes with strong barrages of Magical Leaf.

"Take this!" Zelot unleashed a wild flurry of Leaf Blade that sent Regirock skittering backwards with dents in it's rocky exterior. The Gallade continued it's relentless assault with Close Combat while Regirock struggled to get in a counterattack without being struck in the face. Zelot brought his arm down and decisively cracked Regirock's head with Brick Break.

"Finish him off Sara!"

"My pleasure!"

The red jewels on the Mismagius's body glowed with deep purple light as Sara summoned a ring of eight Shadow Balls to surround the staggering Regirock. The orbs orbited around the golem before colliding together, engulfing Regirock in an inferno of ghostly shadows. Regirock buzzed in frustration and desperation before the shadows crushed it into a pile of pebbles.

"You know, I don't think you needed to exert that much energy on a finisher" Zelot remarked and Sara smiled sheepishly.

"I just wanted to make sure it was dead. After all, it Superpower'ed Silvin to the other side of the chamber" Sara glanced back to Priscilla guiding me towards Regirock's shattered body, my body aching but healed from the Reviver Seed the Eevee fed me.

"Okay, let's not use the same strategy for the fight against Registeel. I don't want to get my ribs smashed again by Superpower" I groaned as the wall behind Regirock's corpse crumbled, revealing another path leading deeper into the cave. Priscilla made sure I was able to walk before following Zelot and Sara into the steel section of the dungeon. I stuck around briefly, wondering if Team Charm was watching us from somewhere.

"Maybe Team Charm's just waiting around in the dungeon for to beat the Regis so they don't have to" I muttered, pressing my chest to check for any rib damage "If you three are watching, know that taking a Superpower to the chest REALLY hurts. Be glad we're doing this just to get to the end faster"

We arrived at the steel section's lobby chamber, indicated by the change of the dungeon wall's material from smooth rock to cold, hard steel. Everything around me felt heartless and metallic, giving me a chill down my spine. I swore to never enjoy being around unnatural conditions such as this.

"This place is making me uncomfortable. Let's just get the keystones into the tablet and fight Registeel" I searched through my pile of spare keystones while Zelot did the same. We inserted the keystones for the word STEEL on the stone tablet and I closed my eyes, letting the keystone's magic resonate with the tablet. As usual, it glowed briefly with blue light before vanishing into thin air, revealing a staircase downwards. We went down the steps and came into Registeel's chamber, which was made entirely of iron and lit by containers with suspended Thunderbolts.

"Just a quick word of advice before we fight. Registeel's defenses are in the middle between Regirock and Regice" Sara explained while Registeel reacted to our presence and booted itself up like a robot "It's resistant to both physical and special attacks, but not on the same caliber as it's brethren. We should attack all at once to gradually wear it down and prevent it from attacking back"

"Got it. Me and Zelot will attack up close while you two stay behind and launch special attacks or seeds. Stick to moves that can dent Steel types" I advised.

"That isn't going to be easy since Steel resists so many types of attack" Sara pursed her lips "But enough talking. Registeel's about to attack!"

"IF YOU WANT TO PROCEED TO MY MASTER'S CHAMBER, SHOW ME YOUR STRENGTH" Registeel declared in the usual metallic voice "I AM REGISTEEL, THE GOLEM OF INDESTRUCTIBLE STEEL. PHYSICAL AND MAGICAL ATTACKS WILL FAIL TO DESTROY ME!"

"We'll see about that. Let's bring him down everyone!" Me and Zelot charged ahead with our Fighting attacks ready while Sara and Priscilla followed suit. Registeel gathered his hands together and generated a sphere of astral grey light.

"I'll take this one!" Zelot jumped in front of me to shield me from Registeel's Flash Cannon, letting me get in close and hammer Registeel with unrelenting Force Palms. The golem was forced to go on the defensive, strengthening his body with Iron Defense to block out my attacks. Soon, I found my Force Palms bouncing off Registeel's body like they were nothing.

"Sara and Priscilla, pierce Registeel's defense with special attacks!" I called and the Mismagius and Eevee fired waves of Shadow Ball and Vacuum Wave at the iron golem, battering it with orbs of shadow and blades of air. In response, Registeel put its hands to it's head and a mental barrier of blue light surrounded it, indicating Amnesia. Priscilla and Sara's attacks bounced futilely off it.

"So does anyone have any defense-piercing moves or items?" I asked as we fell back from the legendary golem "Because none of us are making a dent in him now"

"At the very least, its having a hard time maintaining his defensive barriers and attacking at the same time, so we can stop to strategize or wait for Team Charm to reinforce us" Zelot suggested and Priscilla shook her head.

"No need. I just remembered something that'll do the trick" The Eevee dug into her treasure bag and pulled out a yellow seed like all the rest "The Vile Seed will collapse Registeel's defensive shields and make him as soft as wet paper, presumingly. I only have one, so you three go in and distract him while I line up a shot. Once his defenses are down, rain hell upon him and give him no chance to rearm his barriers"

Us three charged in again towards Registeel as the golem watched on with an emotionless face. Zelot battered Registeel's Amnesia and Iron Defense barriers with Close Combat, making dents in the duel layer of shields with his unrestrained force. Sara pulsed with golden electricity and a thunderbolt of great power struck down onto Registeel while I assisted Zelot with my own aura-infused Force Palms. The iron golem tried to step back to attempt to counterattack, but it's slow speed betrayed it and we gave him no quarter. Attack, attack and more attack was our only mindset.

"Now would be a good time Priscilla!" Zelot called when we backed Registeel towards the wall, Zelot's attacks pushing the golem more and more into the iron wall. Priscilla's Vile Seed flew through the air and the moment it hit Registeel's blue shield, the barriers of both Amnesia and Iron Defense collapsed into pieces, letting us three wallop Registeel to no tomorrow with our attacks. The iron golem couldn't handle the pressure and was eventually shredded into scrap metal, it's only remains being bits and pieces of steel.

"That was the hardest golem fight so far" I panted as the wall in front of us collapsed, revealing the next section of the cave "Honestly hoping Regigigas wouldn't be this tough"

"Balance can be dangerous" Sara agreed "Having an absolute balance in everything means one doesn't have any discernible weaknesses. But that also means they are a master of nothing"

"In this case, Registeel was no master of attacking or enduring constant attacks. It's strategy was to render our attacks useless and counter when we're worn out" Zelot sat down to rest "I wouldn't be hoping for an easy fight against Regigigas if I were you Silvin. He's the trio master of the Regi golems after all"

"Wonderful. I'm betting you 100 Poke that he'll have minions under his command as well" I took an apple out of my treasure bag and consumed it vigorously. It's been hours since I last ate "Let's continue pressing forward. We still have the lead over Team Charm and the guild party, so sitting here isn't going to help us maintain that lead"

"Sounds good. Let's get moving everyone!" Priscilla called and we continued onwards into the cave. Before we made it out of Registeel's chamber however, there were three flashes of magic behind us and Team Charm appeared on the ground, wounded.

"Ugh… urrgh…" Lopunny groaned, then picked herself off the floor, along with Medicham and Gardevoir "W-what happened…?"

"We were fighting Registeel and I think Medicham went in to finish it off" Gardevoir mused, then glanced at the scattered pieces of Registeel's body on the floor "Then it used Explosion and took all of us out"

"Are… are you three okay? You look pretty well for someone who took an Explosion to the face" Priscilla noted and Lopunny nodded.

"We've taken stronger attacks before. No need to worry, darling" Lopunny reassured "It's just that we were all worn out from fighting Registeel and our guard wasn't up when he exploded. Even explorers like us make mistakes"

"Thank you for saving us regardless" Gardevoir smiled gently "I don't know what would of become of us if you haven't defeated Registeel. Before I passed out, I felt magical bindings constrict me and the others. We could of been trapped for eternity"

"We owe you one, Team Skylar. Sorry for messing up" Medicham apologized to Lopunny and Gardevoir.

"It's alright. I just don't know how we can repay Team Skylar" Lopunny slumped, then her ears jerked up "I know! Why don't you let us back you up in the next fight against Regigigas?"

"What? Don't you three want to get the treasure for yourself?" Sara gasped in surprise and Gardevoir shook her head.

"It's clear we already failed our expedition given that we needed you to rescue us. So as payment, we'll let you get the treasure and us three will fight alongside you" Gardevoir replied "Don't you worry. Neither of us are thinking of stealing the glory nor treasure under your noses at the last second"

"So what do you say? Shall we team up?" Lopunny offered and I nodded.

"Sure. I feel like we'll be needing your help against Regigigas" I stared ahead at the dark tunnel leading deeper into the cave "Let's not keeping it waiting. Come on!"

We walked through the tunnel, lit by Gardevoir's Will-O-Wisp and ended up immediately in a mystery dungeon with plenty of Unowns, Golbats, Crobats and Machamps prowling around. The Unowns still dropped keystones, which made me worry that we'll have to spell out whatever Regigigas's type is on a stone tablet, but thankfully, that wasn't the case because the moment we exited the dungeon, we arrived at a chamber with a very high ceiling. The chamber was made of dusty sandstone and lit by magical torches. Statues of four Hitmonlee and four Bronzong surrounded a massive statue of the trio master of the Regi golems: Regigigas.

"That thing is huge. He could stomp all of us flat if he wanted to" Zelot remarked as he stared at the Regigigas statue with awe "Well Silvin, looks like you won the bet since Regigigas clearly has minions protecting him"

"I only half won the bet. The statues have to come alive and attack us for my prediction to be right" I said and the statues began to shake and stir "Zelot, give me 100 Poke after the fight's over"

"THOSE WHO SEEK THE TREASURE SLEEPING UNDER THE GROUND…" A godlike voice resonated all over the chamber "SHOW US YOUR POWER!"

One by one, the stone statues shook violently and broke apart, revealing the real Pokemon depicted on it. Soon, four Hitmonlees and four Bronzongs were staring us down while the giant statue of Regigigas rained boulders on us when his shell broke apart.

"The stone statues are alive!" Medicham yelped in surprise.

"We'll back you up in this battle. Count of us to cover you!" Lopunny called as the Hitmonlee rushed forward to attack first. One Hitmonlee leaped incredibly high and brought his foot down on top of me with Hi Jump Kick. I jumped back to dodge and as the Hitmonlee cratered his foot into the ground, I slammed my palm into it's face with Force Palm, blowing it backwards. Lopunny gracefully dodged Hitmonlee's flurry of kicks and sent it staggering with Dizzy Punch, letting Gardevoir get the killing blow with Psychic. Zelot and Sara were double teaming a duo of Hitmonlee when a sudden Psychic from a Bronzong blasted Zelot backwards, letting Hitmonlee get a brutal combo of Double Kick plus Blaze Kick on the Gallade.

"No!" Sara summoned a volley of Shadow Balls and they slammed into the Hitmonlee approaching Zelot's wounded body. With Zelot's injuries fueling the Mismagius's anger, she raised the Hitmonlee's corpse with Psychic and used him like a battering ram against the enemy Pokemon, slamming approaching Jump Kick Hitmonlees into pillars. Sara threw her ragdoll towards the Bronzong before she noticed Lopunny healing Zelot with Healing Wish, letting him unleash vicious Close Combats on the Bronzong.

"Why isn't Regigigas attacking?!" I yelled over the chaos of the battle. The silver white golem was moving sluggishly, only slamming his massive arm down to attack every few minutes. At the moment, the Bronzong and Hitmonlee were bigger threats than him.

"Watch yourself. Psychic's coming your way" Gardevoir teleported in front of me and held out her arm, summoning a green mental shield that cancelled a Bronzong's Psychic. She then transformed the shield into a ball of purple fire and lopped it towards Regigigas "Burn with the ghostly flames!"

Unfortunately, Gardevoir's Will-O-Wisp was shattered by the red shields of Safeguard the Bronzong erected, preventing her from burning Regigigas. The move seemed to anger the golem because he went on full offensive, sweeping his arm across the chamber in an attempt to grab us.

"Fall back! Stay out of close range and bring him down with ranged attacks!" Priscilla yelled and we wrapped up our fights with the Bronzong as fast as we can before Regigigas's next attack struck. While the remaining two Bronzong glowed with brief yellow light, casting Light Screen and Reflect over Regigigas, the golem banged it's arm on the ground, summoning Rock Slide to bury us in rocks. While our physical attackers shattered the rocks on impact, I ran up Regigigas's outstretched arm, determined to reach it's head.

"Silvin! What are you doing?!" Priscilla screamed, but I glanced at her and nodded.

"I know what I'm doing!" I yelled back as Regigigas's arm rose up in an attempt to throw me off. The golem rose to full height and I soon noticed that I was 12 feet off the ground and if Regigigas caught me, I was either going to be crushed in his hand, thrown down 12 feet or both.

"Too late to give up now" I murmured as I dug through my bag while dodging Regigigas's hand "Everyone! Distract Regigigas! I'm going to use a Violent Seed and Focus Punch his head!"

"You're insane!" Zelot yelled, but he ran towards Regigigas anyways, with Medicham and Lopunny following close behind. Priscilla tossed Gardevoir an Oran Berry to heal herself and raced towards the golem with Sara. Zelot reached Regigigas first and slammed it's leg with Brick Break, shattering the double layer of screens the Bronzong put up. While Lopunny and Sara dealt with the two Bronzong, Zelot, Medicham and Priscilla distracted Regigigas with whatever they can, either with seeds or simply hammering his legs with Close Combat and his chest with Hi Jump Kick. With Regigigas rocking from all the attacks, it was impossible to get proper footing and it took far too long for me to find a Violent Seed.

"Finally!" I pulled out the seed and ingested it in one gulp, letting the primal strength and psychic-level mental clarity flow through my body. I locked my hand into a fist and hot orange light began charging into it.

"Just a little longer!" I called as Gardevoir and Sara's volley of lightning bolts lanced into Regigigas, slamming him into the wall and almost making me lose balance. Zelot jumped back and fired a wave of Psycho Cuts towards the golem's chest, burying it further into the wall. Medicham and Lopunny leaped at once, slamming their feet hard into Regigigas's shoulders before bouncing off. In a rage, the golem broke himself out of the wall and stretched his hand in an attempt to grab someone. Zelot jumped back to avoid the hand, but Regigigas suddenly swept it underneath the Gallade and grabbed him, crushing him in his massive grip.

"Zelot!" Sara yelled out in fear, then jerked her head at me "Silvin! Do it now! JUST KILL IT!"

With a furious yell, I slammed the full force of my Focus Punch into Regigigas's skull, feeling my energized fist bury itself into the golem's flesh and bone. I leaped off the giant's head just as it began to go haywire and drop Zelot. Mismagius caught the unconscious Gallade in midair with Psychic, sighing a breath of relief.

"Finally… it's over…" Lopunny panted as Regigigas collapsed on the ground with a mighty thud "What a… what a fight…"

"But… we did it…" Medicham agreed through ragged breaths.

Before we could celebrate our victory, a crimson stone tablet appeared in front of Regigigas's fallen body, with an inscription written on it.

"It says "Close your eyes and let your aura flow into the ground"" Priscilla said, then turned to me "You're the most experienced user of aura here. You do it"

"Alright" I stepped in front of the marker and closed my eyes, feeling my lifeforce and spirit radiate off my body and flowing deep into the ground. As I did, the stone marker resonated and pulsed with light until I heard a faint, but loud groaning behind it.

"What the- Regigigas?!" Gardevoir cried out in alarm as the golem pulled itself off the floor "How is it alive still?!"

Regigigas simply roared while I continued letting my aura flow deep into the earth, the pulsing light of the marker blocking off all sound and thought from me. Regigigas brought his massive arm down and sundered the ground in front of us, causing an earthquake that rapidly grew stronger.

"We have to get out of here quickly! Come on!" Gardevoir yelled and Team Charm rapidly dashed out of the room while Sara hauled Zelot's dazed body with the help of Psychic. I was still locked in a trance.

"Silvin! Silvin!" Priscilla yelled "Come on!"

I said nothing and the tablet continued to pulse with my aura's seemingly endless supply.

"Silvin! Oh, come on you stupid Riolu!" Priscilla grabbed me and forcefully dragged me out of the chamber as pillars collapsed and entire slaps of rock from the ceiling buried Regigigas under a mountain of stone. We continued running until we made it out of the cave, where the tremors stopped.

"WHOA! You guys are alright!" Loudred grinned when we got out "We felt a massive quake inside the cave and rushed out immediately. Glad you guys are okay!"

"Yes. Thank goodness everyone's alright" Gardevoir breathed a sigh of relief while holding her chest "It's disheartening that we couldn't get the treasure though"

"We kept our lives and battled the legendary titans. That's an experience I'll consider a treasure" Priscilla panted, then glanced at Medicham, who was gazing up at a nearby cliff with a look of shock "What are you looking at Medicham?"

"Look everyone! The ground heaved up and a gap opened on that cliff face!" Medicham pointed to a nearby mountain range and near the top was an entrance to a brand new mystery dungeon.

"So there wasn't any treasure in Aegis Cave after all. The Regis were protecting this cave the whole time" Gardevoir realized "So that's why the treasures went undisturbed for so long"

"Wonderful! So this expedition was a huge success after all!" Lopunny cheered "But I'd like to say the credit doesn't belong entirely to us this time"

"I agree" Gardevoir turned to us "Team Skylar, we wouldn't have made it out of Aegis Cave without your aid. As payment, we'll let you explore this new dungeon and reap the treasures inside. Don't worry about any interference from us"

"That's right. You four were all something special in there" Medicham grinned "It was like seeing Wigglytuff in action back in the old days. Ah, I'm feeling nostalgic…"

"Thank you very much Team Charm. It was a fun time exploring with you three" I smiled "Best of luck in finding more treasure in the future"

"You as well, Silvin of Skylar" Gardevoir nodded, then faced Lopunny and Medicham "Well then ladies, shall we be off on our next adventure?"

"Yep" Lopunny turned to us "We enjoyed ourselves very much exploring with you as well. If we continue our explorations, perhaps we might run into each other another day. But next time, we'll beat you to the treasure!"

"We'll see about that" Priscilla couldn't help but grin and Team Charm laughed.

"Bon voyage and send our regards to Wigglytuff when you get back!" Medicham and Lopunny waved goodbye before Gardevoir swept her hand forward, enveloping Team Charm in a circle of magic and teleporting them to Arceus-knows-where.

"Golly… I still can't believe we explored with the legendary Team Charm…" Bidoof was moony-eyed "I feel like I'm dreaming…"

Corphish pinched Bidoof lightly "Hey, hey, it was no dream Bidoof! They were there in the flesh exploring with us!"

"This isn't something I'll forget anytime soon. This experience is branded deep into my SOUL!" Loudred laughed, then faced us "Us three are going home. Are you going to explore the new mystery dungeon?"

"Next time. I'm so tired after the Regigigas fight" I replied and Priscilla nodded her head in agreement "We'll go home with you guys"

"Alright then. Race you back to Treasure Town!" Loudred said and dashed off with Bidoof and Corphish close behind.

"Come on! We're tired!" I yelled back and the rest of us either laughed or sighed exasperatedly. It took us a full day of travel to return to Lush Prairie, more so than our initial trip since all of us collapsed after a few hours of walking. But we finally made it home and while the others pestered Zelot and Sara with questions, me and Priscilla retreated to our tent to get some rest.

"We are never going back there again. Too much reliance on luck and random chance to get through it" I muttered "Holy gods, I'm so burned out…"

"Agreed. When do you think we'll explore the new dungeon?" Priscilla asked.

"After a week of rest or we'll send the people who didn't accompany us there" I replied, stretching my body to let my bones crack "Because I'm not travelling back down to the southern coast for a while. A man needs his rest"

"And a woman needs her treasure" Priscilla giggled and snuggled into my chest "Just joking. But I wonder what treasure's down there in that new dungeon"

"We'll find out eventually. Now stop pestering me Priscilla. I need my rest" I said jokingly and the Eevee laughed lightly.

"As you wish Silvin. Sweet dreams"

 **Finally this damn dungeon is over and done with. I cannot stress enough how much I hate Aegis Cave and I haven't gained any new appreciation for it by writing it. The dungeon segments are boring, so the entire part is consisting of three battles against Pokemon weak to Silvin and Zelot. I tried to make it more exciting by not making the battles cakewalks (which they are if you have the right Pokemon), so I hope I accomplished my goal. Coming up next is the Seven Treasures arc and each chapter will cover two dungeons from two different perspectives. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to give me constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time!**


	44. Chapter 42: Nightmare Behind the Dream

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 42: Nightmare Behind the Dream

Several nights after the taxing Aegis Cave exploration, me and Priscilla were lying in bed while hearing a thunderstorm rage outside our tent. Aria was unfortunately out of town for a while due to a ever-growing list of job requests she had to do alongside Niko and Alster, so the thunderstorm was here to stay. I could hear Ezra and Henry cursing that they couldn't sleep thanks to the storm. It was that bad.

"Hm, it's been a while since the last thunderstorm. Things have been pretty quiet lately" Priscilla rested her head on my shoulder and I rubbed her ears in response "So in a way, it's sort of refreshing. I actually sleep easier when it's raining outside"

"The plitter-platter sound when raindrops strike the tent lull you to sleep?" I asked and Priscilla nodded "Yeah, me too"

"It makes me think. Our quest to prevent the destruction of time and avert the calamitous future… it seemed like such a long time ago" The Eevee reminisced "Look at how far we came since that journey to Temporal Tower. We graduated from the guild, rescued Scizor from Blizzard Island, explored the sea, raised Manaphy and unlocked the secret of Aegis Cave. All that in two years"

"It's been two years, but the memories of the events in Temporal Tower are still fresh in my head" I replied and Priscilla nodded in agreement "I guess when you're an explorer as famous as us, events come and pass fast"

"Yeah, although I'd ideally wish to be a lesser-known explorer team, so we won't be invited or requested to do all these harrowing explorations all the time" The Eevee moved her head downwards to my chest, making me let out an exasperated sigh "With time and peace restored to the land and all, I just want some peace and quiet for a while. One big adventure is enough"

"That reminds me. Now that time is restored, everyone can evolve at Luminous Spring now. Except for us" I brushed Priscilla's fur gently, making her purr adoringly "I remember the spring telling us that we were "influenced by the distortion of space", which was why we couldn't evolve"

"And for all the explorations we've been on for the last couple months, there's been no clues on what this "distortion of space" is. Nobody besides the spring seemed to take note of it" Priscilla placed her front paws behind her head "Maybe we should find a divine deity like a legendary Pokemon to see if they can provide insight on this "distortion of space" jig. I don't want to spend the rest of my life as a weak Eevee after all"

"Neither do it. All of our friends are evolved already and us still being unevolved probably undermines our leadership" I pulled the blankets on our bed closer, covering Priscilla's head with a startled, but giggly yelp "Racking our heads about it won't do any good. Let's just get some sleep Priscilla"

"We'll investigate more about it in the future" Priscilla agreed as she kissed me on the cheek "Goodnight Silvin"

"Goodnight Priscilla. Pleasant dreams"

"You as well, my love"

After me and Priscilla turned in for the night, a mysterious dark figure watched our camp under the shadows of the trees, rain and lightning.

"So this is the home of the so-called "saviors of the world". What a pathetic band of Pokemon" The figure murmured to himself "Both of their leaders are still unevolved too. Assassinating them would be easy"

The figure brought his arm to his chin, as if he was plotting something "But I'd relish a death better than by my hand. Perhaps one by their own"

"... Milord? Who are you talking to?"

"Hm?" The figure turned to one of his henchmen, a Gengar, staring at him with obvious scorn "What business do you have with me, minion?"

"I just came to report that the Oran Forest's distortion of space is slowly growing as we speak. Given plenty of time, I'm sure the distortion is enough to engulf the entire mainland and amplify your power tenfold" The Gengar replied "Of course, the more Pokemon put to sleep while under your distortion, the better"

"Good. Send small squads of Hypno and Haunter to any villages you find. I want as many Pokemon sleeping by the time my distortion reaches them"

"Understood. Should we use-" Gengar asked, but the figure raised his hand, silencing the shadow Pokemon instantly "... Something the matter?"

"There's a disturbance in the aura here. A serene, light aura…" The figure looked around the forest carefully "Cresselia, that persistent pest. I must not be caught. Come, it's time to go"

"Sir" Gengar nodded and warped away under the shadow of the trees, along with the figure.

…

Two days later, me and Priscilla settled into bed as usual. We've been taking job requests and challenge letters from higher-end dungeons lately, which meant a lot of tiring travel and dungeon fighting that took the entire day to finish. After a short conversation and wish for good dreams, both of us snuggled into bed and fell asleep.

"Hmm… huh…? W-where am I…?" I woke up in a fluid space that constantly changed colours like a kaleidoscope. Wherever I was seemed to be limitless in ground, so I assumed I was in a dream.

"A lucid dream, huh? I never had that before" I touched the prismatic ground with my hand. It felt like I was touching a milky, liquid like substance such as milk, but it was solid "So what triggered a dream like this? I don't remember visiting kaleidoscope land"

"I was the one who brought you here" A voice said behind me and I turned, facing a beautiful swan-like Pokemon with a serene, but stern face. Her angelic pink rings glowed with light.

"It's rude to intrude on people's dreams you know" I said to the Pokemon. She reminded me a lot of a strict, but strikingly beautiful teacher or team leader. Her eyes seemed to bore into my soul with hidden hatred. I tried to sense her intentions with my aura, but it seemed to be blocked off from my sight in the dream "What do you want?"

"Let me introduce myself to you first, mortal" The Pokemon replied and I arched my eyebrows, annoyed that she addressed me as a "mortal" as if she was some goddess "I am Cresselia, maiden of the full moon and pleasant dreams"

"Well, nice to meet you then. What does a holy maiden such as you need of someone like me?" I asked as professionally as possible. I didn't say it, but Cresselia unnerved me to no end. She didn't act or project the aura of sereneness as much as she looked. I didn't want to accidentally anger her.

"I came to tell you that you and your partner's existence is pushing the world towards ruin" Cresselia replied flatly, like she was saying that the sky was blue.

"Really now? Do you have any proof?" I crossed my arms in annoyance "Because I'm not taking the opinion of someone who invades my dreams as valid proof, in case you're wondering"

"Hmph, you're hard to crack emotionally, unlike your partner here" Cresselia willed a vision to life, showing Priscilla talking to another Cresselia. Anguish and panic clearly marred her face and expression "But know this Silvin of Skylar: If you continue to live and exist in this world…"

Suddenly, the dream world around us began to shake violently, the kaleidoscope colours rapidly shifting from calming rainbow to sinister purple and black.

"If you continue to live and exist in this world…" Cresselia's eyes turned from hot pink to one cyan and the other blood red "IT WILL BE DESTROYED!"

The dream world around us collapsed into shards like glass and a white flash covered my vision just as both me and Priscilla snapped awake in head, panting hard.

"Are you okay Priscilla? Did you have a nightmare?" I hugged the Eevee from behind to comfort her and she wrapped her arms around my neck, taking deep breaths to calm herself down "Shh. Don't worry. I had a nightmare too"

"I don't know if it WAS a nightmare Silvin. I saw a Pokemon named Cresselia in there and she said she was the maiden of the full moon and good dreams" Priscilla explained, cradling the sheets as if she was afraid they'll be ripped away from her as well "She told me she visited my dreams to tell me that me and you are pushing the world towards unrepairable ruin"

"That's what Cresselia told me in my dream too. But she doesn't have any proof that we're causing the world's calamity" I grasped Priscilla's paw tightly "Besides, nothing bad is happening in the world at the moment, so there's nothing to be blamed on us"

"But when I asked Cresselia if she had any proof, she suddenly snapped at me in anger and the dream started shaking like an earthquake" Priscilla shivered at the memory "I- I remember her pink eyes turning both cyan and blood red instantly before she screamed "The world will be destroyed!""

"It'll be alright Priscilla. Like I said, nothing unordinary is occuring in the world right now, so Cresselia probably did it just to scare us" I frowned "But that begs the question. Why would she do this to scare us? Or is this her way of warning us of something to come?"

"All we know is to be on the lookout for any kinds of problems out here. Cresselia visiting our dreams is confirmation that something or someone is coming to endanger our world" Priscilla paused briefly "... You remember how the Luminous Spring told us that we were influenced by the distortion of space?"

"... Yeah?"

"What if that's what's pushing the world to ruin like Cresselia said. That means we're the ones putting the world-" Priscilla was interrupted when I placed my hand over her mouth "Mmph!"

"No, no, no. No talks of us being the cause of global apocalypse. The distortion of space is just a side effect from our issues with time" I pulled back my hand from the Eevee's lips just as I heard Niko and Sara sounding the bell that breakfast was ready "Come on, it's time for breakfast. Let's just forget all of this and move on"

"Okay. Let's not mention this to our friends though. It wouldn't be good of us to burden them with information like this" Priscilla said as she slid off the bed.

"Especially since we don't know if Cresselia's warning is factual or not" I nodded in agreement and we left out tent, heading towards the central bonfire for breakfast.

…

The next night, I reawoken again in the dream world, the kaleidoscope lighting restored.

"Here again? Cresselia, what do you need to tell me this time?!" I yelled into the empty space "Tell me more lies about how I'm the cause of the world's apocalypse, I assume?!"

"There is no need to yell in a space where nobody lives, aside from me and you" Cresselia's strict voice materialized beside me and I set my eyes on the deity again, her expression neutral as usual "Would you like to know the reason behind my warnings?"

"Sure. Give me a valid reason for this ridiculous slander" I said and Cresselia narrowed her eyes, clearly discontent with me "What's with the glare you're giving me?"

"Show me some respect and don't talk as if you doubt me!" Cresselia appeared in front of me like a blur and some force lifted me into the air by my neck "I am a goddess, I'll have you know!"

"Okay, okay! I'll talk normally!" I was starting to hate Cresselia more and more "Just put me down and stop trying to choke me. Your psychic power isn't as strong as you make it out to be"

Begrudgingly, Cresselia put me down back on the ground and I attempted to maintain a neutral expression as much as I could, not showing the mutual hate me and her had.

"So what's your reason behind us endangering the world?" I asked.

"You and your partner's time in the future has created a distortion in the fabric of space. The distortion you emit is especially large, Silvin of Skylar" Cresselia stared at me with a calm expression "You are a human from the far future. You do not belong in this world. That is what's creating the distortion"

"... Continue"

"And if the distortion were to expand, the world will fall into chaos and ruin. Buildings and Pokemon-kind's strongest monuments will topple into the fabric of reality. The laws of nature and physics will run wild, with snowstorms ravaging the desert while the sun and moon alternate on a whim" Cresselia continued "You are a presence that must not exist in this world!"

"Trash talk. Nothing is going on around the world. Everything has been peaceful since time has been restored two years ago" I refuted, daring Cresselia to strike me again "Leave mine and Priscilla's dreams and take your damn lies with you!"

"You…you little, insignificant…!" Cresselia growled, then began glowing with pink light under her levitating body "Fine! Take my word for false then. You will REGRET ignoring my words!"

And with that, Cresselia warped out of my dream and the dreamscape around me collapsed into shards before fading to black. I woke up with a start, smacking Priscilla in the face with my head.

"Ow!"

"Oh! Sorry about that Priscilla" I apologized as I sat up in bed "Did I sleep in this time? Because I usually get up earlier or around the same time as you"

"No, I just woke up early because I got another dream message from Cresselia" The Eevee massaged her nose "She told me that our time in the future caused us to be "infected" with the distortion of space and we brought that to the current world after going through Celebi's Passage of Time"

"You didn't believe her word, did you?"

"Of course not. As far as I and all the residents in Treasure Town know, nothing particularly world-threatening is going on in the world right now" The Eevee replied "I still can't glean Cresselia's goal from these conversations though. She's trying to threaten us without proof, yet I don't think her singular goal is to scare us. Something's going on"

"Yeah. Maybe we should ask around to see if anything's going on-" I was interrupted when Zach's voice came from outside the tent.

"Silvin and Priscilla! Bidoof from Wigglytuff's Guild has arrived with a message for you!"

"Huh, that's funny. Why couldn't the guild just send us a letter?" Priscilla asked Zach through the tent entrance.

"Bidoof said the message is urgent and that they couldn't waste time at the post office to send you a letter. He told you to report back to the guild immediately for an emergency" Zach replied as Priscilla unzipped the tent flap "Me, Zelot and Sara will hold the fort while you two are gone"

"Got it. Thanks" I nodded to Zach and raced to the camp gates with Priscilla, meeting Bidoof there.

"Golly, you two are quick to move!" Bidoof said, surprised.

"What's the situation? What's the emergency?" I asked as me and Priscilla ran full sprint towards Treasure Town, Bidoof struggling to keep up.

"Little Azurill was playing around in Oran Forest one day and he suddenly feel asleep and can't wake up!" Bidoof replied, panting from the running "He's been asleep since yesterday afternoon and he looks to be suffering from a mighty terrible nightmare!"

"Why didn't you guys tell us earlier?!" Priscilla demanded.

"We thought we could handle it ourselves. People like you hafta be busy, right?" Bidoof answered "But as the situation got worse, Wigglytuff and Chatot told me to come call you folks. Maybe you know something on what's going on"

"Curses. We should of brought Ezra with us if we knew this was a medical-related problem" I grit my teeth in frustration "But no time to double back to camp. Treasure Town should be over this hill"

Once we arrived into town, all of us dashed into the guild, where we found most of the guild members plus a Magnemite policeman and Marill himself in our old room, with Azurill resting on one of our old beds.

"I heard the situation from Bidoof. What happened exactly?" Priscilla asked Marill.

"One day, me and Azurill went to Oran Forest to pick Oran Berries for food. I found a good patch of berries and got distracted, so I didn't see Azurill run off" Marill explained "When I found him, he was snoozing on the ground with a bunch of berries, which probably spilled out of his basket when he fell"

"Marill also told us he spotted footprints in the dirt leading up to Azurill's sleeping form. Magnemite tells us that the footprints belong to a Hypno" Chatot continued "Magenzone's police force is trying to track the Hypno down with the help of several bounty hunters, but the main issue is that Azurill won't wake up"

"I tried everything I could to wake him up. I even yelled into his ear and rang a bell in his face" Marill stared at Azurill dejectedly "Yet nothing worked. He's still sleeping"

"Urf… uunnggg…" Azurill groaned in his sleep, yet his eyes remained tightly closed.

"Bidoof mentioned him seeming to be suffering from a nightmare. Has he been this way ever since Hypno put him to sleep?" I asked Marill and he nodded in confirmation "That's not good…"

"Hey Chatot. Do you have any idea on how to cure Azurill? Priscilla asked and Chatot shook his head.

"Sadly, I'm fresh out of ideas. To be locked in an endless nightmare, sleeping for days on end… I haven't ever heard of that in my wildest dreams" Chatot frowned "We tried force feeding Azurill a Chesto Berry too, but that proved futile"

"We're all at our wit's ends to come up with a cure. Maybe an extremely strong Chesto Berry extract could do it…?" Chimecho wondered aloud, desperation clear in her voice.

"Hey, hey, maybe there's a Pokemon out there who can dispel nightmares" Corphish suggested "But a Pokemon with that power is probably a legendary for all we know…"

"C-can I make a suggestion everyone?" Bidoof asked timidly and all of us turned to him.

"What is it Bidoof?" Loudred asked as quiet as he could, which surprised me personally.

"I was just thinking. If we can't dispel the nightmare, maybe we can figure out what kind of nightmare Azurill's having. Then we can figure out why he can't wake up" Bidoof said "Like… maybe we could try to have a Pokemon view the nightmare or even enter inside it and cut off the source…?"

Dead silence.

"Ah golly, I know it sounds stupid" Bidoof slumped "But it was just a suggestion. None of us got any leads either"

"No, no, it's not stupid Bidoof. We might actually be able to look into Azurill's dream" Chatot stared out the window in thought "There's a Pokemon called Drowzee, who's the pre-evolution of Hypno. Before they consume other Pokemon's dreams, they view them to make sure it's a good dream and not a nightmare. Nightmares gives Drowzee stomach aches"

"Drowzee? I remember that name" Priscilla turned to me "Wasn't that the first outlaw we arrested?"

"Yeah, I remember him. I think I heard a rumor one time that Drowzee has the ability to enter dreams as well" I turned to Magnemite "Officer Magnemite, what happened to Drowzee after we turned him in?"

"ZZT! Drowzee was subjected to intense grilling by Officer Magnezone. ZZT!" Magnemite replied "ZZT! He expressed remorse and vowed to the gods that he'll never break the law again. So we released him. ZZT!"

"Hey, hey! Are you sure he really straightened out?" Corphish asked "For all we know, he could of put up a fake act to worm his way out of jail"

"Corphish, now's not the time to be worrying about that. What matters is that Drowzee is out of prison, which means he could be anywhere in the world right now" Sunflora said "Magnemite, did Drowzee say where he was going to go?"

"ZZT! He said he wanted to cleanse both mind and spirit of evil intentions, so he's training in self-discipline up at Mt Travail. ZZT!" Magnemite replied "You should be able to find him there"

"Alright. Me and Silvin will assemble an exploration team to find Drowzee at Mt Travail. It should be northeast of here" Priscilla told me "The rest of you watch over Azurill to see if his behavior changes. I'll send my team's medic here to see if she can come up with a cure"

"Okay then. Good luck and be careful!" Marill called as me and Priscilla raced out of the guild and back to camp, where we informed out friends of the situation. Aria, Alster and Niko were back from their jobs and despite his recent adventures, Alster volunteered to accompany us up Mt Travail.

"Any mountain worth their salt is bound to have Rock, Ground and Flying type Pokemon. I can fend off the local Pokemon easily" Alster assured, then turned to Henry "I recommend bringing the Staraptor along as well, to keep watch of the sky while I'm dealing with the ground enemies"

"The Staraptor's name is Henry, you know" Henry grumbled "But yeah, I'm willing to come along too. When are we leaving?"

"The moment we grab our treasure bags. We can't leave Azurill suffering for any longer" I said "Grab your stuff and meet us at the front gate. We'll be heading northeast"

Just three hours of travel later, we arrived at the base of Mt Travail, which was strewn with dead trees and rough-looking rocks. I wasn't sure how climbing a mountain cleanses a person's mind and spirit, but maybe the mountain was spiritual or something. Whatever the case, we had to reach the top and find Drowzee so we can view Azurill's nightmare and discern the root of the problem.

"So here it is. Mt Travail" Priscilla gazed up the tall mountain in awe "Hm, climbing a mountain wouldn't be my first choice if I wanted to cleanse my spirit and mind. I'd rather meditate under a waterfall"

"Same for me" Alster agreed "Although I can't exactly meditate due to my lack of legs so… I just swim around in the ocean for a while if I need to clear my head"

"I'm not one for spiritual mountain climbing or having gallons of water crashing onto my head" Henry shrugged "If I need to get some air, I just fly in the sky for a good hour or two. Usually works"

"Forms of enlightenment aside, we need to get climbing up this mountain" I interrupted "Let's go everyone"

Mt Travail was certainly a new challenge to say the least. As Alster predicted, Rock, Ground and Flying type Pokemon such as Marowak, Onix, Golem and Fearow dominated most of the floors while there were splashes of Fighting, Normal and Bug type Pokemon too such as Hitmonchan, Furret, Primeape and Scizor. Deadliest among them however, were the Ledian.

"It's just like the Venomoth back at Mt Horn with their Silver Wind" Priscilla said as she threw a Stun Seed to distract a Ledian, but it blew it away with Silver Wind, bombarding us with sharp sparkling dust. Just as quickly, the Ledian fired Silver Wind again, but Henry snatched it from above with his talons, dragging the Ledian across the ground before slamming it onto the wall, completely mutilating it "Henry, if you see any Ledians around the floor, prioritize them over anyone else!"

"Got it!" Henry nodded and soared off in pursuit of more enemy Pokemon heading our way. Meanwhile, me, Priscilla and Alster handled the ground enemies, with Alster blasting aside rows of Marowak and Onix with high-powered shots of water. The Scizor, Hitmonchan and Heracross banged him up hard with their physical moves, but with external healing from Priscilla, Alster got them out of our way with Dragon Pulse.

"How in the world did Drowzee make it to the top by himself? This place would kill him with all the Bug types running around" I noted as I brought down a Ursaring with a double-hit combo of Force Palm and Brick Break "How strong has he gotten over the years?"

"If he can survive this hell as a solo explorer and with a type disadvantage, he must of gotten incredibly powerful overtime" Priscilla said while signalling to Henry that we found the stairs leading to the next floor "Makes you wonder why he never bothered evolving"

"Maybe the first thing he did after getting released from prison was go to Mt Travail instead of Luminous Spring" I suggested "And the reason he got so powerful was that either Officer Magnezone made him work out in prison as punishment or he just trained like crazy here"

"If it's the latter case, this Drowzee's one hell of a risk taker. He's constantly putting his life on the line while here" Alster narrowed his eyes, then fired a burst of water from his snout towards an incoming Shedinja. The attack passed though it effortlessly "Henry, take this one out!"

"Ha!" Henry's wings lit with burning fire and he flapped his wings forward, conjuring a Heat Wave to burn the Shedinja, a Ledian and Scizor to ash "Ha ha! I love this move!"

"When did you learn Heat Wave?" Priscilla asked in amazement.

"I was just visiting Electivire in town a few weeks ago and he helped me learn it!" Henry was having way too much fun with Heat Wave, letting the flames empower his Close Combat and Wing Attack "The best part is that because I conjured up the flames, they don't harm me! So I can do things like THIS!"

Henry flew into the air with his flaming wings and wrapped them around his body before spiraling into an approaching group of Hitmonchan and Furret with Brave Bird, tearing them all apart into bloody visera and burning those who didn't die on impact. Alster moved ahead of us and summoned a tidal wave underneath him with Surf to finish off the remaining enemy Pokemon.

"Ha ha! I never thought I would feel this much power in my entire life!" Henry laughed a hearty laugh "This is incredible!"

"Don't go mad on your own power Henry! Pokemon are still dying here!" Priscilla chided and Henry nodded with a smile.

"I know. My loyalty and strength only lies with you and Team Skylar. No one else" Henry reassured "I'm just laughing because I'm fighting for the right purpose. Not for food, not for money. Just to protect my friends and save others"

"That's the Henry I know and love" I grinned as I blocked an incoming Heracross's punch before counter attacking with Brick Break, letting Alster get the kill with Water Pulse "Huh. Why is there so many enemy Pokemon?"

"A Monster House just triggered in front and behind us. That's why we're fighting so many enemies!" Alster explained as Priscilla threw a Slumber Orb into the incoming crowd of Pokemon, letting Alster wash them away with Surf. A crowd of Ledian and Scizor attempted to bury us in Silver Wind's dust, but Henry flapped his fiery wings to call a flaming tornado to burn them all to a crisp.

"How many of them are left Henry?" I yelled.

"Just a couple more. Hold strong everyone!" Henry jerked his head below him "Priscilla! Watch your right!"

"What?!" Priscilla finished throwing a Petrify Orb and turned to see a Medicham's leg heading for her face. The Eevee scrambled to dodge, but Medicham's Hi Jump Kick hit her hard, sending her flying towards the wall.

"Priscilla! Nngh… get out of my way!" I was starting to get pinned down by a troop of Heracross, so I darted away with Dig and pulled out my own Petrify Orb "Freeze!"

I shattered the orb on the ground and all the enemy Pokemon froze in place, like they became stone statues. While I rushed to check on Priscilla, Alster and Henry mopped up the rest of the Monster House's Pokemon with Surf and Heat Wave respectively.

"Go and grab the Monster House's loot. I'll heal up Priscilla!" I commanded and the two Pokemon rushed off in opposite directions while I opened my bag to find a Reviver Seed. Examining Priscilla's wounds, she has taken a hard rupture to the skull along with her back being partially cracked from hitting the wall. A Reviver Seed was necessary for healing her.

"Good thing she didn't ingest any before this. More than three Reviver Seeds in the span of two hours is lethal…" I didn't know why I remembered one of Ezra's medical facts now, but it helped me glean if giving Priscilla a Reviver Seed was safe or not. I fed the unconscious Eevee the seed and she awoken instantly, the bruise on her head fading quickly.

"Ugh. I hate this dungeon" Priscilla groaned as I helped her onto her feet "This place is definitely not where I'm going to cleanse my spirit"

"This place is far from peaceful and spiritual. This is the first time two Monster Houses occured at once, didn't they?"

"I think so. Which means we have to be on constant guard. The easy dungeons and explorations lately has made us soft" Priscilla watched Alster and Henry come back with relieved expressions "What did you two find from the Monster House?"

"Several gummies and two TMs. One of them was for Shock Wave and the other was Dive" Alster replied, glancing around for any ambushing enemies. Fortunately, we seemed to clear out everything on the floor.

"Okay next time, let's scout Monster Houses and try to actively avoid them. The weaker dungeons lately made us forget that we still have to remain vigilant and cautious whenever we're in a dungeon" Priscilla said "Understood?"

"Understood. Although… if there's some really nice loot there, can we try and engage them?" Henry asked.

"One at a time" The Eevee sighed "Two Monster Houses is too much"

"Agreed. Anyways, let's get moving to the next floor. It looks like we cleared everyone out of here" I made sure Priscilla was up and steady to walk and we headed to the next floor of Mt Travail.

 **And here we come to the real postgame story and endgame of EoS. Mt Travail is an annoying dungeon, housing the ever-deadly Ledian with Silver Wind, a move that not only strikes the entire room at once, but also has a 10% chance to raise all the user's stats per enemy struck (which means they can spam Silver Wind OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN, making escort missions here near-impossible) If you or your partner has AOE moves like Discharge or Vacuum Cut, the Ledian should be slightly easier to handle (Although Vacuum Cut is notoriously weak later in the game, so it's not THAT effective) If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to give me constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time!**


	45. Chapter 43: Twisted Reality

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 43: Twisted Reality

After floor after floor of Silver Wind, Monster Houses and Bullet Punching Scizors smacking me in the face constantly, we finally made it to the top of Mt Travail. I swore to the gods that Drowzee had to be divinely blessed to be able to make the journey solo as a Psychic type. Because he would get slaughtered to hell and back by all these Bug types.

"You know what? Give me back the boring, but easy dungeons like Miracle Sea and Aegis Cave. I'd rather die of boredom than hacked apart by a Marowak's bone" I wheezed as we climbed the final rocks leading to Mt Travail's peak. Over the journey, I experienced nothing but pain, fatigue and exhaustion, so I had no idea why Drowzee came up here for spiritual enlightenment. Either way, I spotted him at the edge of the cliffside, gazing at the horizon, so at least our exploration wasn't for naught.

"Drowzee! We need to talk to you!" I called and Drowzee turned, yelping in alarm.

"Ahh! Y-you two!" Drowzee's hands glowed with pink light with Psychic "Stay back! I'm prepared to defend myself if you try to arrest me again! Trust me, I kept my nose clean of any crime!"

"We know. We heard from Officer Magnemite that you've been reprimanded in prison and came here to cleanse your sinful soul" Priscilla gestured around her "And honestly, anyone who solos this god-forsaken dungeon solo as a Psychic type has my respect"

"So… what are you four here for? If you haven't came to arrest me, did you come to admire the view?" Drowzee pointed behind him, showing a beautiful landscape of forests, mountains and clouds rushing behind them in the sky like a river.

"Partially because the view is indeed gorgeous, but no" Priscilla shook her head "We came to ask for help Drowzee"

"Huh? You want help from me?" Drowzee frowned, dumbfounded "What for?"

"You remember the little Azurill from Treasure Town?" Priscilla asked and Drowzee flinched, holding his arm in shame "He's locked in an unnaturally long sleep and seems to be suffering from a nightmare. We heard that Drowzee can view and even enter the dreams of others before eating them"

"So what say you Drowzee? Can you help us and Azurill?" I asked "Please?"

Drowzee stared behind him for a while, as if pondering his decision. Alster and Henry watched with tense expressions, as well as us. I doubted Drowzee would refuse if he truly regretted his crime years ago.

"I… I did a horrible thing to that little Azurill years ago. If this can help me recover that friendship I faked for them before, even a little bit, I'll do it" Drowzee turned to us with a nod "Show me back to Treasure Town. I'll help out Azurill"

"Great! Now we have to…" I glanced behind us, gritting my teeth at the realization "Hike back down Mt Travail…"

"Don't worry. Over the course of these years, I've had the chance to develop my psychic powers. I can warp all of us back down with Teleport" Drowzee held up his hand, which glowed with pink light "I can transport all of us-"

"Save your strength. We can just use an Escape Orb to get out of here" Priscilla pulled a light blue orb out of her Treasure Bag "Huddle together everyone. The Escape Orb's range isn't gigantic"

We all got together in a circle as Priscilla smashed the orb onto the ground, generating a blue field of light around us that transformed into a pillar, teleporting us back to the entrance of Mt Travail instantly. From there, we headed back to the guild in only an hour and a half, due to Henry ferrying Drowzee and Priscilla atop his wings while I rode on Alster, who was keeping up with Henry thanks to Surf. I was a little worried of leaving the land behind us swamped with water, but Alster reassured me that the water will seep into the soil soon enough and won't cause any major damage. Once we arrived back at Treasure Town, we raced into the guild to find Azurill's room empty except for him, Ezra, Officer Magnemite and two other local doctors.

"Welcome back. Azurill here isn't doing well" Ezra approached us with a slightly discontent look. She wasn't one to show her emotions easily, but even a small glimmer could tell a lot "Me and the other doctors tried everything to wake him up. Even the strongest Chesto Berry extract that wouldn't kill Azurill instantly didn't work. His sleep is magically induced via Hypnosis and enhanced by something more sinister"

"I sense foul dark magic glistening off him. It was hard to determine at first thanks to Ezra here…" One of the other medics, a Blissey eyed the Absol warily "But there are traces of it. I theorize that whatever put Azurill to sleep magically locked him into slumber via some sort of forbidden spell"

"Marill only reported one pair of footsteps nearby and those belong to Hypno. He's clearly the one who used Hypnosis on Azurill" I frowned "But I doubt Hypno can learn dark magic to magically lock Azurill into endless slumber. Did Magnezone's police squad catch Hypno or find an accomplice, Magnemite?"

"ZZZT! Magnezone and the other officers are still tracking down Hypno as we speak. The Arcanine tracking units aren't having any luck discerning Hypno's location on trail alone. ZZT!" Magnemite reported "Chief Officer Magnezone theorizes that Hypno may have levitated or warped away to cover his tracks!"

"Maybe employ someone who can sense leftover magic tingling in the air like a Gardevoir or Mismagius" Priscilla suggested "But enough about that. Drowzee, if you may"

"Right. Excuse me ladies…" The doctors made way for Drowzee to approach the sleeping Azurill. Drowzee pressed his hand onto Azurill's forehead and closed his eyes, as if he was listening. Two minutes passed and Drowzee didn't change.

"... Find anything yet Drowzee?" I asked to break the uncomfortable silence and tension. Priscilla shushed me to be quiet, but Drowzee opened his eyes and removed his hand from Azurill's forehead, looking grim.

"Four of you are going to need to prepare because a mystery dungeon formed in Azurill's conscious" Drowzee replied "I believe whatever is at the end is the cause of Azurill's nightmare. You're going to need to go in and cut it off by the source"

"Wait… we have to go INSIDE Azurill's dream? How do we do that?" Henry asked, shocked.

"I have the ability to transport myself or others into people's dreams. Once four of you are ready to go, I'll send you in" Drowzee paused, feeling Azurill's head again "And if you're wondering, it's only four Pokemon allowed inside. I fear that too many Pokemon invading Azurill's mind will cause some… bad side effects"

"Like?"

"This isn't the time to talk about them" Priscilla snapped "Me, Silvin, Ezra and Alster will go into Azurill's dream. Henry, I'd like you to fly back to camp and ask Aria and Sara if they know anything about Azurill's magically induced sleep"

"Alright then. Stay safe and good luck!" Henry nodded with an encouraging grin before making his way out of the guild in a hurry.

"All four of us are set to go. Send us into Azurill's dream" Priscilla told Drowzee and he nodded, weaving blue and purple light in his hands to summon an ethereal portal in front of Azurill's bed. Drowzee, the two doctors and Magnemite wished us luck before we leaped into the portal, arriving in a eerie, quiet space made of dream-like purple substance. Ahead of us was a maze formation like a mystery dungeon.

"So this is Azurill's dream. It's… creepy and too quiet" Priscilla glanced around us. Aside from this purple piece of land we were on, all around us was pure black darkness like in the future. If I was here alone, I knew for a fact I would go insane.

"Silvin! Priscilla!" Drowzee's voice echoed above us "Can you hear me?"

"Yes, we can hear you!" Priscilla called back.

"Good. So that means you got into The Nightmare safely" Drowzee said "I don't think I need to remind you guys again, but… be careful in here. Something sinister is prowling around and it gives me the chills. Be on your guard constantly"

"Will do. Thanks Drowzee!"

"Good luck!"

"Let's not waste any time. We have to make it to the end of the dungeon and cut off the source of Azurill's nightmare" Even Ezra, typically emotionless as she was, was unnerved by The Nightmare, constantly looking around herself as if she was expecting an ambush "If I know anything about dreams and nightmares, whoever creates it can come up with whatever horror they wish. Be prepared to see some things you'll never want to see again"

"We'll cover your backs, so stay focused on moving ahead" Alster said "Now let's get moving. The less time spent here, the better"

We entered the dungeon and we assaulted by eerie silence and desolation. Nothing seemed to be moving around and there were no enemy Pokemon to be seen. Three floors passed and still nothing, even as we moved deeper into the nightmare.

"If the nightmare is trying to kill us with suspense and unease, they'll succeeding" I noted quietly as we walked through empty hallways of dream-like purple matter, hearing only our footsteps, breathing and rustle of our Treasure Bags "And hunger too. Why am I getting hungry so easily here?"

"Because you haven't eaten anything since Alster ferried you back to Treasure Town" Priscilla replied, but Ezra shook her head.

"It isn't just him. I ate shortly before you arrived back and yet, I feel myself getting hungrier second after second" The Absol pulled an apple out of her bag and bit into it gingerly, sending ominous waves of echoing crunches down the halls.

"... I think I understand why. You said that none of the medicinal items, berries or food items worked on Azurill, so I think he's unable to properly consume or digest food in this nightmare state" Alster theorized "Therefore, he's starving in real time and we're experiencing that as we go through the dungeon"

"That's creepy. But besides that, there doesn't seem to be anything sinister about the nightmare" Priscilla did another scan around herself for enemies, but like usual, there was nothing "Maybe the dungeon's attempting to break our guard by making us think enemies aren't around"

"Now that you said that, something's going to appear" Beside me, I heard an awful scream that startled me, making me drop my apple "Gah! What in the-"

"Is that Azurill running towards us?!" Alster asked surprised and he was right. Azurill was bouncing towards us with a terrified expression on his face.

"Azurill! Are you alright?!" I spread out my arms to catch Azurill, but just as he got close to me, his eyes went blood red and he bared a row of sharp fangs, aimed for my head. The corrupt Azurill shrieked in a demonic voice as I yelped in surprise, backing up to a wall in horror before Ezra stabbed it through with her horn. The apparition vanished in a puff of purple mist.

"Trust nothing that appears in this nightmare. They aren't real and will try to deceive you to kill you" Ezra glared at me, faint purple blood glistening on her horn "Like I said at the beginning of the dungeon: There are going to be things here you'll never want to see again. If you see anyone who isn't us, attack them on sight. Give them no quarter"

"R-right. I just thought Azurill was trapped in the nightmare with us and that we had to rescue him" I took deep breaths to calm myself down. The nightmare Azurill's sudden transformation will haunt my own dreams for a while now "But is that the only enemy here? It's still silent"

"No. Now that the Azurill have shown themselves, more are coming out" Ezra glanced behind her "Like out of the walls"

"They're coming towards us like zombies. Really, really fast zombies!" Alster shot down the nightmare Pokemon one by one. Another set walked out of the walls in front of me and Priscilla, so we dealt with them while Ezra handled the ones appearing from the hallway where Azurill came from. The enemy Pokemon were mostly Normal type, which was good for me, but disturbingly, a handful of them were Pokemon found in Treasure Town, like Chansey, Wigglytuff and Spinda. I spotted Ezra cutting down a Wynaut and Wobbuffet pair as well while Alster summoned a tidal wave to bury a troop of Croagunk.

"If we tarry around here for too long, the enemy Pokemon will just continue coming at us over and over again!" Priscilla called over the chaos of battle "Let's break through them and race for the stairs. Alster, get them out of the way with Surf!"

"Right!" The Kingdra hummed with power, summoning geysers out of the ground to swamp the enemy Pokemon away. Before they could rise and reinforce their own numbers, Priscilla immobilized them with a Petrify Orb and we bolted down the hallway.

"Most of the enemy Pokemon here are residents of the guild or Treasure Town…!" Priscilla said with an edge of fear in her voice "So not only is Azurill dreaming of starvation, he's also dreaming of being killed by the people he knows the most"

"I didn't spot a Marill among the group of enemy Pokemon, so maybe it's-" I paused when a saw two Marill shuffling listlessly in a room nearby us, their faces locked in frowns and their eyes deep pits of darkness "Oh no, that's cruel…"

"I swear to Arceus that if I ever find the person responsible for Azurill's nightmare, I'm going to force feed them a hundred X-Eye and Blast Seeds down their throat" Priscilla growled with newfound anger, which surprised me "Let them be blinded and have their intestines burned forever. It's what they deserve. Nobody deserves to be locked in a horrific nightmare like this"

"Agreed" Alster quickly shot two bursts of Dragon Pulse at the Marill, in case they would sneak up on us from behind "If I ever had a nightmare like this and woke up, I doubt I'll be able to trust anyone or anything. I'll be mentally scarred for life"

"And the same may be happening to Azurill right now" Ezra deadpanned "So let's find the stairs quick and move on. We're tarrying too long on this floor"

"I'm trying! It's just that this floor is so huge and I don't remember which rooms we did or didn't visit…" Priscilla paused, as if conjuring up a horrible thought "What if whoever created this nightmare is trapping us in the dungeon to replicate Azurill's locked state in the real world? That means we can't-"

Priscilla stopped talking because I put my hand over her mouth, silencing her "Mmph!"

"I told you already. No more talks of the apocalypse or hopeless situations. We can and will get out of here and we'll free Azurill in the process" I said and removed my hand from Priscilla's face "Now I picked up a One-Room Orb two floors back, so that should help us find the stairs"

"Wait Silvin. The enemy Pokemon are hiding in the-" Alster protested, but it was too late. I already smashed the orb on the ground, sending shockwaves that turned all the purple walls to dust. That revealed an entire floor's worth of enemy Pokemon, which was roughly equivalent to ten Monster Houses. We were surrounded by demonic versions of Azurill's closest friends.

"Alster, keep them away from us with Surf!" Priscilla took command of the situation fast as she tossed a Foe-Seal Orb into the crowd, spreading waves of paralysis across the floor. Me and Ezra keep the closest enemy Pokemon at bay while Alster raised a shield of rushing water to protect us while summoning waves out of thin air to take down the masses. Terrifyingly, the nightmare Pokemon were stronger, enhanced versions of themselves. The Clefable I was brawling with slashed at me with Shadow Claw before opening its mouth to let loose a Hyper Beam. I rolled to the side to dodge, but a Wigglytuff slapped my face to oblivion as I got up, making my skull rattle as I collapsed to the ground.

"There's too many of them! I don't think I have enough energy and PP to sustain the shield and Surf!" Alster warned us while sending out another tidal wave to push the enemy into each other like bowling pins. However, they seemed to shake off the attack and sluggishly continued moving at us, thanks to Priscilla's Foe-Seal Orb earlier.

"We can't take them all down like this. We need to use something that'll give them no chance to spawn new numbers" Ezra glanced at Priscilla, who was healing me with an Oran Berry "Priscilla, throw a Petrify Orb into the crowd to immobilize them for some time. You three are going to need to protect me and plug your ears"

"What are you going to do?" Alster asked.

"Perish Song. Now cover your ears!" Ezra cleared her throat as Priscilla tossed her orb "Goddess of Death Giratina, grant me your power! Let a mortal soul unleash ungodly hell upon those I despise! Destroy their lifespans to nothing but seconds! Bring the reaper into this world to rob their souls of everything they hold dear! Let this song bring death's incarnate to unleash her JUDGEMENT!"

One by one, the crowd of enemy Pokemon stepped back like they were slapped in the face, sinister blood-red digits appearing over their heads. They screamed like banshees and lunged to move, but the Foe-Seal Orb and Petrify Orb held them in place. I unplugged my ears, then plugged them again once I heard all the screams and cries for vengeance from the apparitions. Even then, it still wormed into my mind and nearly drove me mad with fear and insanity.

"IT WAS ALL YOU… WHY COULDN'T YOU LEAVE US ALONE!" One of them screamed into my head.

"EVERYTHING WAS GOING WELL UNTIL YOU CAME ALONG. YOU BROUGHT THE WORLD'S DESTRUCTION!" Another one yelled.

I pressed my hands to my head harder to block out the noise, but it only got louder from there. I cried out in agony as screams of dying nightmares nearly overwhelmed my head when suddenly, it stopped. I released my hands from my ears and opened my eyes, realizing that all the enemy Pokemon dropped dead and faded into purple mist. Perish Song has taken their lives.

"T-their screams… everything they said to me i-in my h-ead…" Priscilla looked shell shocked, her eyes wild with paranoia "My… my… I can't…!"

Alster and Ezra looked similarly disturbed, though lesser so because of their higher mental resistance probably. I carried Priscilla in my arms and whispered comforting things to her and myself to remind myself that we were just in a nightmare and that we'll wake up eventually. This wasn't the real world and nobody here was real except for us. Ezra and Alster led the way, eating apples and berries to heal themselves. I found myself strangely starving again despite the short timespan between my last apple and this one. Maybe we really were experiencing Azurill's hunger here.

"Ezra, I heard that Perish Song inevitably kills anyone who hears it" Alster tried to spark a conversation to save us from the eerie silence "If that's true, then why didn't you get affected by it?"

"Ordinarily, the user of Perish Song is affected by it. Pokemon who know it are often used as "suicide bombs" in a battle" Ezra touched her Perish Torc around her neck "But a secondary element of the Perish Torc is that it protects me from Perish Song's cursed words"

"I see. So if we encounter another legion of enemy Pokemon like the last one, we can use your Perish Song to clear them out" Alster said "Given that we can protect you and cover our ears, of course"

"I'm curious Alster. How did you cover your ears to ward off my Perish Song? You don't have limbs" The Absol pointed out.

"It's hard to explain. I sorta just will my ears to close and stuff them with water. That usually suppresses all sound" Alster replied, then stared ahead "Hm. What floor are we on now?"

"Eighth I believe" Ezra turned to me and Priscilla "Is Priscilla good enough to walk? She seems to be very shaken"

"Y-yes, I can walk. Just need to clear my head and tell myself that all of this isn't real" I let down Priscilla and she took a deep breath to steady herself "It's all just a dream and this isn't what the world's like"

"I feel like I'll have to be treating post traumatic stress after this experience" Ezra mumbled as she turned back to face the front "What in the- Are those us?"

"Huh?" I looked ahead and saw a group identical to us. A Riolu, Eevee, Absol and Kingdra stared at us with piercing red eyes and they were all emitting an aura of purple light. I scanned them quickly with my aura and was disturbed to know that our clones were made of pure malice and hatred.

"Are they going to attack us?" Priscilla murmured uneasily. She took a step forward and the Eevee clone mimicked her motion. I punched at the air and the Riolu copied it exactly. It was like looking at a mirror. A corrupt shadow in the mirror.

"Can't we just leave? The hallway is right behind us…" Alster whispered. We all backed up, with the clones doing the same, but some sort of black energy blocked out exit, locking us in with the doppelgangers.

"Do we have to beat the clones to get out of here…?" I asked and suspiciously, the Riolu didn't mimic my mouth movement and instead, smiled darkly at me "They aren't copying us anymore. That means…"

The Eevee clone's Stun Seed zipped beside me at lightning speed, scratching my cheek and exploding behind me "They're attacking!"

"Take down the Eevee and Absol first! We can't let Absol use Perish Song and the Eevee will just hamper us with seeds!" We charged to meet our attackers while the Riolu and Kingdra clones went first. The Priscilla and Ezra clones stay behind to support. Strangely, both of them were pulsing with darker purple light, like they were preparing some sort of spell. We needed to stop them quickly.

"Silvin, flank behind the Riolu and Kingdra clones and take down the Absol and Eevee!" Priscilla threw me a Quick Seed, which I consumed to gain blazing fast speed "Us three will hold them off!"

"On it!" I darted past the doppelgangers engaging my team and headed straight towards the Ezra clone first. The apparition stopped her spell and swung her horn at me, firing a blast of Psycho Cut. I dodged and struck the Absol in the leg with Force Palm before punching her face with Brick Break. While the nightmare Pokemon staggered away, the Eevee clone summoned a random purple seed out of thin air and threw it like a throwing knife at me. If I didn't have the Quick Seed boost, I would of been hit by it. Luckily, I didn't and used my dash momentum to get in and strike the Eevee with a quick Focus Punch, sending her flying towards the wall and breaking her into black particles. It hurt to hit something so closely resembling Priscilla, but I had to do it. I glanced to my right and saw the Ezra clone billowing with abyssal energy again.

"GODDESS OF DEATH GIRATINA, GRANT ME YOUR POWER…!" The nightmare intoned in a voice only sounding like a dozen damned souls "LET A MORTAL SOUL UNLEASH UNGODLY HELL…"

"She's using Perish Song! Stop her Silvin!" Ezra yelled before dodging a Water Pulse from the Kingdra clone. Suddenly, it rushed forward with lightning speed and sent Ezra sprawling on the ground with Waterfall. Priscilla's Stun Seed flew by and hit the enemy Kingdra, holding him in place. The Eevee took the opportunity to run to Ezra and heal her. The Riolu clone attempted to rush to intercept her, but Alster headbutted it with Waterfall before violenting bashing the clone over and over again with Outrage, until it broke into dust. Outrage's power still coursing through his body, Alster destroyed his doppelganger as well.

"...BRING THE REAPER INTO THIS WORLD TO ROB THEM OF EVERYTHING THEY HOLD DEAR!" I tried to disrupt the Absol clone's Perish Song, but she shielded herself with a double layer of Protect and Detect somehow, making my strikes useless "LET THIS SONG BRING DEATH'S INCARNATE…"

"Silvin! Hurry up!" Priscilla yelled as Alster ran in to assist me. Just as the Absol clone reached the final word, I remembered a long-forgotten technique I haven't used in so long. Or ever, for that matter. I darted to the left, then right and smacked the nightmare's face with Feint, bypassing her shields and making her growl like a feral beast. I didn't hesitate in my attack however and let loose a quick Focus Punch to break the Absol's jaw, grotesquely bending her neck all the way backwards before she dissolved into bits of purple matter. With the doppelgangers dead, the stairs appeared in the center of the room, along with another legion of nightmarish enemies walking out of the walls.

"Hurry to the next floor! Before they overwhelm us again!" Priscilla helped Ezra up and we rushed down the stairs just as the nightmare Pokemon reached us. I laid down a Petrify Orb and a Foe-Hold Orb behind us to keep the enemy at bay while we ran deeper into the nightmare, blowing past wave after wave of foes as fast we could to go through the floors faster. All of us wanted to get out of here.

"Are we almost at the end? We're at the sixteenth floor already!" Priscilla wheezed as she gobbled down a Cheri Berry to beat back her hunger. We've consumed so many apples that we had to salvage berries at this point.

"There's the stairs. Hopefully, we're close to the source" Ezra slashed down a Wobbuffet with Night Slash before it got a chance to counter. We raced down the steps before arriving at an empty clearing. Nobody and nothing was here except for a long winding hallway that seemed to lead into only darkness.

"There doesn't seem to be anything here, yet the layout isn't like a mystery dungeon" Alster noted "The hallway's too wide and open to be a mystery dungeon. There aren't any branches either"

"So this is probably the dungeon's rest point or clearing" I looked around, but nothing looked unusual "But if it's the latter, I don't see any clues pointing to the source of Azurill's nightmare"

Suddenly, darkness flashed several times all around us, like dying blinkering lights until shadows veiled us completely. Priscilla yelped in alarm before a strict and familiar voice sounded through the darkness.

"You… How did you get here?!" The voice sounded surprised.

"Cresselia! What are you doing here?!"

"Oh, so you recognize my voice. Very well then" I heard a low hum of power before the shadows dispelled around us, letting us see Cresselia in full view again. The maiden looked displeasured at our presence, glaring at us with a mix of discontent and confusion.

"Well, while I cannot fathom how you possibly got here, I find your visit ever so convenient" Cresselia tried for a welcoming tone, but it was clear she disliked us being here "I've always wanted to meet you two directly"

"Cresselia… so you're the fabled maiden of the full moon and good dreams" Ezra stared at Cresselia suspiciously "But if you have these so-called powers and titles, then why are you in Azurill's nightmare? Are you here to dispel it?"

"I suppose so. What I'm about to do will release Azurill from his nightmare and further ones in the future" Cresselia eyed both of us "So dare I hope my dream messages came to you? After all, I'd hate to explain everything again"

"Let me ask you again, now that you're here in the flesh" I crossed my arms "Is it true that since me and Priscilla jumped from the future into the past, we're affected by this "distortion in the fabric of space" that's eventually destroy the world?"

"Yes" Cresselia nodded.

"What proof do you possibly have that supports this outrageous claim?" Alster growled.

"None. I just know it to be true" Cresselia's tone remained flat and calm as usual "The effects are already coming into play. Azurill here has been put to sleep and then enveloped in the distortion of space, locking him into endless slumber and nightmare"

"Are you saying that's our fault?!" I cried in anger.

"Yes, I am. The distortion you emit appears in random areas all over the world. One such has appeared in the Oran Forest and Azurill just so happened to wander into it, it seems" Cresselia explained "And from there, someone put him to sleep within the zone, locking him in the nightmare. If the distortion were to spread over the continent and expand, the world's population will find themselves unable to wake up forever"

"... Is there any way to eliminate the distortion?" Priscilla asked in a small voice.

"Yes. There is one way to eradicate the distortion forever" Cresselia approached us dangerously and Ezra and Alster slowly stepped in to protect us "And that's for you to disappear!"

"No!" Ezra batted Cresselia back with her horn while Alster rushed in to attack with Outrage. However, Cresselia regained her footing easily and generated a light purple screen with Reflect to shield herself from Alster's Outrage. The Kingdra clashed uselessly against it before Cresselia lifted him up with Psychic and slammed him against the wall. Alster crumbled to the ground, unconscious. Cresselia turned to Ezra and launched a blast of Ice Beam at her. Ezra countered with her own Ice Beam, but was easily overpowered, trapping her against the wall in a sheet of ice.

"No, no! Stop this Cresselia!" Priscilla yelled "Stop attacking them!"

"Will you give up their lives in exchange for theirs? You'll save thousands of lives if you call off your comrades" Cresselia offered and Priscilla was at a loss for words, clearly not knowing if the legendary Pokemon was telling the truth. But if there was one trait inlaid in Priscilla's soul, it was that she was selfless when it came to her friend's lives. And sadly, that was one of my traits too. But was this really the only way to destroy the distortion?

Priscilla stared at the ground with sorrowful eyes before answering "... Yes. I give up my life to save the world from the distortion. Silvin, you can decide for yourself"

"I-" I didn't know how to answer. Back during the quest to save time, I knew for certain that I had to disappear to save the world. But here, there wasn't definite facts nor evidence to point at us being the harbringers of apocalypse. But if I resisted now, would Azurill's nightmare continue? Would more Pokemon fall into this hell? If I denied Cresselia's offer, would she kill me anyways? She incapacitated both Ezra and Alster with ease and I had no doubt she could easily end me as well. Before I could answer, I heard Drowzee's voice call from behind us.

"Silvin? Priscilla? Where are you?" Drowzee's voice echoed from the floor above us.

"Damn. The doorman of this dream" Cresselia growled and stepped back from us, veiling herself in faint pink light "Too much trouble to handle him and you two. I'll leave, but I'll be back with my offer again. Think over your decision"

And with that, Cresselia left and the ice locking Ezra in place broke, letting her run over to Alster to heal him while Drowzee came in on the scene. This Drowzee had to be one of Arceus's favourites because he travelled through Mt Travail and The Nightmare solo and is somehow a large enough threat to give Cresselia a reason to retreat.

"What are you doing here Drowzee?" I asked, surprised.

"You four were taking so long to get back, so I came down to find you. I got worried" Drowzee replied, then looked around himself "Now that I'm down here, I sense something REALLY dangerous around. Best not to stay. Let's get back to the guild and report the situation"

"I must say Drowzee. You've gotten incredibly powerful over the years for an unevolved Pokemon" Priscilla noted as Drowzee swung his arm down to open a portal back to the real world "Either that or you're stupidly lucky. I don't know anyone who can solo travel Mt Travail and this place"

"I'm probably just lucky. I've squeezed my way out of many close calls with death at Mt Travail" Drowzee said modestly "Now get in. Let's get out of here"

"Agreed. Never want to be here again" I sighed with relief "Let's go"

 **And that was The Nightmare. Most of the scenes shown in this chapter don't actually happen in the dungeon in-game. You don't have enemy Pokemon walking out of the walls or having to fight clones of yourself. The increased hunger and "enemy Pokemon being Pokemon from the guild and Treasure Town" elements are still there, adding onto the creepiness of this whole situation. Seeing as Cresselia's a legendary, there should be no reason she should fear Drowzee, so my explanation is that since Drowzee can cut open an exit back to the real world quickly, she would be unable to finish off Silvin and Priscilla fast enough. Not wanting to go through all the trouble, Cresselia puts it off for another time. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to give me constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time!**


	46. Chapter 44: The Edge of Space

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 44: The Edge of Space

I breathed a sigh of relief when we leaped back into the real world, the sunlight beaming through the window and lighting the room. The Nightmare gave me unwanted memories of the dark future and I was beyond glad to be back in the real world now.

"Thank goodness you're back. We were all worried to death for you four" Sara breathed a sigh of relief when she greeted us "How was it like in there?"

"Like well… a nightmare. We fought shadow clones of ourselves, killed demonic manifestations of the guild and Treasure Town Pokemon and we met the goddess of the full moon" Priscilla summed up "So all in all, a bad tourist place. Never going back to that hellhole"

"Goddess of the full moon… so you met Cresselia?" Chatot asked behind us. Drowzee closed the portal to Azurill's nightmare, letting me see that most of the guild was present along with Sara and Zelot "What did she say?"

"She explained that Azurill's nightmare is being caused by the "distortion in the fabric of space"" I explained "Apparently, Azurill was magically put to sleep in a distorted zone, which is why he can't wake up by any means"

"So this "distortion of space" is the dark magic I detected before you four went in" The Blissey doctor from earlier said "So that means someone summoned a zone of distorted space in Oran Forest in an attempt to lock Azurill and presumingly Marill in an endless nightmare?"

"Cresselia also mentioned that this zone is ever growing, meaning that if the zone expands and more Pokemon are magically put to sleep by Hypnosis, all of us will be like Azurill" Priscilla continued, which caused Chatot to squawk in panic.

"Oh by the gods, if that's all true then…" Chatot didn't finish the sentence, as if he just couldn't describe the sheer horror of the outcome "That's terrible! Something has to be done to combat this!"

"But does anyone know how to dissolve a space distortion field? It's definitely high end dark magic" Ezra pointed out "And only a strong user of holy magic can reverse it, I believe"

"Let's see what Chatot knows about Cresselia first" I said, then faced Chatot "So what do you know about Cresselia, Chatot? Can she help us?"

"I only know rumors, I'm afraid" Chatot shook his head "But if it'll be useful, I'll tell you. Cresselia is known as the maiden of the full moon and goddess of dreams. She only appears on the night of the quarter moon and she can heal emotional scars simply with the light of her radiant body"

"She definitely didn't feel "radiant" to me in her presence" Alster commented "In fact, when we encountered Cresselia in the nightmare, she excluded an aura of malice, hatred and hostility towards us"

"Hmm… that's strange considering Cresselia is also rumored to contain a mystical power to banish darkness and evil. She is the "strong user of holy magic" you'll need to destroy the space distortion" Chatot replied.

"Hey, hey! So if the distortion spreads all over the continent, will everyone fall asleep and be plagued by nightmares forever?" Corphish asked and I nodded "We gotta do something about that. This is serious stuff!"

"Hey Priscilla and Silvin. Did Cresselia tell you a way to defeat the space distorting field in the nightmare?" Drowzee asked and I bit my lip to stop myself from blurting it out. I glanced at Priscilla for a second and she similarly looked conflicted. Ezra and Alster behind us were also hesitant.

"... No. Cresselia didn't tell us a way to get rid of the space distortion. She's awfully vague in her words, like all godly deities I suppose" I answered as normal as possible and Drowzee nodded with a frown.

"Well, that's unfortunate. Perhaps if you meet Cresselia again, you can ask her"

"For now, let's look into the distortion of space together" Wigglytuff interrupted "If we don't, more Pokemon will suffer day after day like Azurill. As a general warning, stay FAR away from Oran Forest. Spread the word all around town"

"Let's disband for the day and get some rest. Starting tomorrow, all of us are going to be investigating the distortion of space" Chatot said "Ask experienced mages if you know any. Spread the word around town to avoid Oran Forest. Lots of work to do tomorrow, so rest for the night everyone"

"Yup, yup! Will do!" Bidoof nodded earnestly "G'night everyone!"

Slowly, everyone left Azurill's room except for the Blissey and Clefable doctors. We bid farewell to the guild and headed back to camp at Lush Prairie. Later that night, both me and Priscilla were laying in bed, wide awake thanks to the day's events.

"Ugh, I can't even fall asleep. Too scared of getting a nightmare like Azurill" Priscilla muttered discontently, rolling over on the sheets "I'm going to be a wreck in the morning…"

"Same here. Every time I close my eyes, I see the demonic spirits of Treasure Town's residents and the doppelgangers of us staring at me with their blood red eyes" I tried to close my eyes, then instinctively hugged Priscilla to her surprise "Ah damn it"

"Don't worry about it. We're here for each other" The Eevee comforted "No nightmares will plague us if we're together"

"I wish I can believe that. Besides the nightmare's monsters, I have a constant fear of the distortion of space" I said "At first, I thought it was trash talk spouted by Cresselia to spook us, but after Azurill, I'm not sure it's entirely conjecture"

"And the fact that the only way to destroy this distortion is for both of us to die. Believe me, I'm scared too" Priscilla admitted "But there's still a chance that it isn't true. Azurill could of just been put to sleep by Hypno and then a third party casted a dark magic spell to lock him in. The distortion of space would be a hoax"

"But that means a dangerous dark mage is on the loose, potentially giving unyielding nightmares to anyone who's asleep" I realized, then mentally slapped my forehead "Darn it. Now I made it harder for myself to sleep"

"Let's take a walk through the forest then. Nothing there can threaten us" Priscilla took my hand and let me off of bed, leading me to the nearby forest, where Zelot and Sara often hunted for wild game. While Priscilla was right that nothing in the wild forest could threaten us, it was also because there was nobody TO threaten us. Everything in the area has gone to sleep and nocturnal wild Pokemon have better things to do than mess with us. We were alone with the tall trees casting their shadows over the dry dirt path.

"You know, even when I try to convince myself that Cresselia's words were falsehood, it always makes me wonder why she would bother telling us this. If it was true, she would be warning us and telling us how to save the world. If it's false, then what? Is she trying to get rid of us?" Priscilla sighed "Thinking about this entire web of deception and uncertain truths reminds me of when we confronted Dusknoir and his Sableye at the Passage of Time"

"I think either way, Cresselia wants us gone from the world. You saw how she was in the nightmare. She attempted to kill us Priscilla" I replied "That means we're the source of the distortion of space and Cresselia's trying to kill us to save the world…"

"... Or she was lying to us and wants us dead for her own gain, whatever that may be" Priscilla finished "Honestly Silvin, no matter how much I deny it, I'm always leaning to Cresselia's words being true. Remember the Luminous Spring?"

"It confirmed that both of us were afflicted by the distortion in the fabric of space, which was why we couldn't evolve" I realized "And Azurill was one of the first victims of the distortion's effects. That means…"

"... The distortion in the fabric of space is real and it's coming from us. It's not merely a high-end dark magic spell"

"Does that mean the only way to dispel it and save the world from the nightmare is to kill ourselves…?" Priscilla's voice dropped to whisper, like the shadows were listening "Is that really the only way though?"

"Absolutely not. There's definitely a way to defeat the distortion without us dying" I reassured "Just give the guild and our team some time. I'm sure they can research a way to destroy this threat"

"I'll take your word for now. Thinking of the catastrophe is just souring my mood" Priscilla looked at the shining moon in the sky "Hm, I'm tired now. Wanna head back?"

"YOU AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE!" A godly voice shook the trees around us and nearly knocked both of us off our feet. I didn't identify where the voice came from, so me and Priscilla bolted back to the camp to attempt to get reinforcements. Unfortunately the bearer of the voice dropped down from the sky and blocked out path "I FINALLY FOUND YOU!"

"Ah! W-who are you and what do you want?!" Priscilla yelled with a shrill in her voice. I understood her nervousness too. The beast before us radiated an aura similar to a god like Dialga, turning my nerves to jelly and melting all my confidence.

"I AM PALKIA, GOD OF SPACE AND PARALLEL DIMENSIONS!" The purple streaked beast boomed "YOU ARE THE DEFILERS CAUSING THE DISTORTION IN SPACE!"

Before I or Priscilla could respond, Palkia boomed again "FOR DEFACING MY DOMAIN, I WILL DOLE OUT MY PUNISHMENT. THIS IS THE END FOR YOU!"

"Priscilla! Silvin! What's going on?!" I heard Zelot and Zach's voice far behind Palkia "What in god's name is that?!"

"BAH! BEGONE INTRUDERS!" Palkia swept his armored arm behind him, sending a purple shockwave that slashed dozens of trees in two and rocketed towards the Gallade and Luxray. The two barely managed to hit the ground before the shockwave struck them "NOW FOR THE TWO OF YOU!"

"Don't you dare!" Priscilla threw a random seed she found on the ground, but Palkia cut it in half easily while his two shoulder plates flashed with yellow light. I attempted to strike his legs with Force Palm, but Palkia effortlessly kicked me to the ground.

"SAY GOODBYE!" Palkia roared and the golden light transformed him into a sphere before it flashed, blurring my vision completely white. The last things I heard were Zelot and Zach's yells and Priscilla's helpless screaming before Palkia transported us onto a land scarily reminiscent of the nightmare. Mucky green ground and a pitch black void all around us.

"W-where are we? Where did you take us?!" Priscilla yelled defiantly.

"THIS IS SPACIAL RIFT, MY HOME DOMAIN! NOBODY WILL SAVE YOU HERE!" Palkia roared, stepping forward towards us. I glanced behind us and realized we were dangerously close to the edge. There was no way to maneuver around Palkia before getting eviscerated. "YOU DARE DEFILE SPACE? WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?!"

Palkia glared at me with hatred filled eyes "I PLAYED A PART IN YOUR RESURRECTION AND YOU DARE COMMIT CRIMES LIKE THIS? DIALGA WAS BLIND TO YOUR EVIL AMBITIONS!"

"We didn't do anything! We're not the source of the distortion of space!" I yelled back, determined to get Palkia off our back. It was better to try and negotiate with him before dying while fighting.

"SILENCE! ALL DEFILERS OF SPACE MUST BE PUNISHED. PREPARE TO DIE!" Palkia fired a wave of purple light with a swing of his arm, barely missing us by an inch and cutting the ground beneath it "DON'T RESIST!"

"What can we do Silvin? We don't have our Treasure Bags and there's nothing behind us!" Priscilla and I jumped back from Palkia's hand slamming the ground, getting us closer to the edge "Maybe we can try to dart around him…?"

"And get squashed by his foot?!" I dodged another attack and nearly lost my balance on the edge of the empty space. Below me was the void of nothingness.

"IT'S OVER NOW!" Palkia swept his arm at the ground and smacked both me and Priscilla hard off the edge. As we were falling, I managed to grasp Priscilla and hugged her tight, accepting this was the end.

"I love you" I murmured in her ear, though I doubted she could hear me through the screaming gales rushing through our ears. Priscilla herself was wild with fear, desperately looking for something that could break our fall. But there was nothing but empty space and I knew that whatever was at the bottom would probably disintegrate our particles into a million pieces, scattering us to the wind like ash. I glanced below me and saw a large piece of land approaching us fast.

"Priscilla! We need to break our fall!"

"I know! But we don't have anything that'll…" Priscilla paused, as if she realized something "I got it! Vacuum Wave!"

Suddenly, Priscilla's fur bristled and sharpened in my arms, sending small, but painful gorges through my skin. But it was worth it, as multiple air blades appeared in the air and positioned themselves below our feet, cushioning our fall onto the new piece of land. From a high up view, the land looked like a mystery dungeon and we were at the entrance.

"What can we do? Up ahead looks like a mystery dungeon, but we don't have our gear with us" Priscilla scanned the new ground we were on. Despite the look and texture, the ground and walls felt like solid stone. "Wait, is that a Kangaskhan Rock?"

"What are the odds…?" We approached the Kangaskhan Rock that was next to the dungeon's entrance, withdrawing an extra Treasure Bag we stored just in case we were separated from our own and stored everything we could possibly fit inside. I had a feeling we were going to fight Palkia sometime later, so we'll need every advantage we could get to beat him, just like Primal Dialga.

"IMPOSSIBLE! YOU'RE STILL ALIVE?!" I heard Palkia's voice roar from above us, scaring the wits out of us both "YOU DEFILIERS ARE MORE HARDY THAN I THOUGHT. I'M COMING FOR YOU!"

"Let's get moving into the dungeon quickly. We need to find a way out of this place!" Priscilla looked at me straight in eyes with a mix of determination, fear and defiance "We aren't letting Palkia kill us. If our deaths means the world is at peace, we'll do it ourselves! Let's go!"

Spacial Rift was nearly as difficult as Temporal Tower, which said a lot considering how dangerous the nightmare and Mt Travail were. Now we were reduced to two, unevolved Pokemon that could barely fend off one of Spacial Rift's Pokemon, let alone two. We decided to resort to using items to incapacitate foes and only engage those I had the type advantage over, like Magnezone. That meant we were avoiding a LOT of battles via Vanish and Pure Seeds because a large majority of Spacial Rift's Pokemon were Flying type like Charizard, Chatot, Gligar, Honchkrow, Tropius and Lunatone.

"Palkia's got quite the diverse number of Pokemon living here" Priscilla whispered. Both of us were near invisible thanks to the Vanish Seed. Only a Pokemon who looked at us hard enough could tell we were there. "If we could recruit anyone from here, that'll be stellar…"

"Speaking honestly, we're hopelessly underpowered compared to everyone here. I doubt we could make a good impression" I replied as we weaved around hallway after hallway, in search of the stairs "It has to be a coincidence that Drowzee, Sableye and Dusknoir are among our group of enemies"

"Good. More chances to kick Dusknoir's face in, given we feel confident enough to fight" Priscilla looked around herself warily "Which wouldn't happen fast considering the influx of Psychic types here"

"Reminds me of Treeshroud Forest, except much harder" I murmured "The Xatu, Gallade, Kadabra, Chimecho and Hypno… I feel like they can see past our Vanish Seeds"

"Which is why I took as many Pure Seeds that I could in case we get caught by a big group of them" Priscilla patted her invisible bag "Anyways, I spotted the stairs in the room up ahead. Let's move before our Vanish Seeds run out"

"Good thing we saved them up over the years"

Meanwhile back at camp, Zelot and Zach raced back the moment Palkia abducted us. Everyone were out of their tents the moment they heard the trees crashing to the ground and pestered Zelot and Zach to death with questions.

"One at a time everyone! One at a time!" Ezra raised her stern voice and everyone calmed down "Let's go to the bonfire and let Zelot and Zach explain what they saw, then we'll ask questions"

The group sat down at the bonfire while Niko and Sara made breakfast for everyone nearby. Zach and Zelot were still wildeyed and shell shocked by Palkia's assault, but they managed to form sentences out of stumbling words.

"That damnable beast Palkia tried to kill Silvin and Priscilla! When we came running by to help them, he threw a wave of purple light at us that snapped all the trees nearby in half!" Zach explained "Then Palkia transformed into a ball of light and took Silvin and Priscilla with him to god knows where"

"It's worse than when Dusknoir abducted the two into the future. Now we have no idea where they could possibly be" Sara floated beside Zelot, clearing trying to contain her panic. But fear was written all over her face "Okay, let's try to spread the word and get as many people as we can searching for them. Henry, fly to Treasure Town and report the case to Magnezone's police squad, as well as post a search and rescue mission at the guild"

"Got it. You can count on me!" Henry nodded, partially relieved to be away from the tension and panic of the camp. He needed to be alone to clear his head "Be back in a sec!"

As the Staraptor flew off, Sara took a deep breath to calm herself down and took control of the situation.

"Aria and Ezra, go to the study and research everything you can about Palkia and what he can do. Maybe we can figure out where he lives and locate Silvin and Priscilla" The Mismagius ordered "Niko, join them after you're done cooking breakfast. I'll join you three shortly too. Zelot, Zach, Alster and Eliana, go and find any elder you know to see if they know anything about Palkia. Maybe ask Torkoal at the hot springs or Lapras at the beach to start"

"Okay, I'll go with Alster and Zach will go with Eliana. I'll visit Torkoal and you'll visit Lapras" Zelot told Zach "I have an old friend in the bounty hunting guild I could ask. He was always into studying legendary Pokemon"

"Alright then. Let's get moving. Come on Eliana!" The Luxray bounded off quick towards the gate, with Eliana doing her best to catch up.

"What about breakfast?!" Niko yelled.

"I'll eat an apple along the way. Don't worry!" Zach called back and he and Eliana quickly disappeared over the crest of the hill, leaving Niko and Sara alone. Zelot and Alster bolted just as quickly as well and Ezra and Aria already made their way to the study.

"Well, they're certainly taking this better than last time. Back then, everyone was out of action the moment we saw Silvin and Priscilla being abducted" Sara had a mix of motherly proudness and worry in her eyes "Good to see them so quick into action to help out our leaders"

"I wonder what Palkia wanted with Silvin and Priscilla. We didn't have the time to ask Zelot and Zach about what else they heard" Niko absently took a fresh waffle from a plate and ate it "Does it have anything to do with the distortion of space Ezra and Alster told us about yesterday?"

"I fear so. Palkia is the god of space and dimensions, if I recall correctly. He must of seen the distortion of space as an impose on his territory and wanted to get rid of the oppressors quick" Sara paused, her eyes going wide "Wait… if Palkia himself comes to get rid of Silvin and Priscilla, then…"

"Silvin and Priscilla are truly the cause of the distortion in the fabric of space" Niko finished "And according to Cresselia, the only way for the distortion to be destroyed it for them to die"

"But none of us believe that nonsense, right?" Sara stared at the open tent flap of the study "There has to be a way to destroy the distortion without risking Silvin and Priscilla's lives. For now, let's hope they're alive and can escape Palkia's grasp"

"That's a far hope, considering Palkia's a god" Niko chewed his lip "But they survived circumstances like these before, so I can believe they can do it"

"That's being optimistic. Come on, bring some of breakfast to the study for Ezra and Aria" Sara smiled "We're not going to believe Silvin and Priscilla are dead until someone brings their cold, dead bodies to our very feet"

"Agreed. Let's get to work"

After fifteen floors of grueling Vanish Seed sneaking or Pure Seed floor skipping, we arrived at the midpoint of Spacial Rift's mystery dungeon.

"Looks like we can rest and resupply here. There's a Kangaskhan Rock in the corner" Priscilla pointed "I hope I have more Vanish and Pure Seeds lying around. A handful of Petrify Orbs would suffice too…"

"Let's just not waste too much time resting. I didn't hear Palkia's roars for a while, but I think he's tracking us" I stuffed any and all the beneficial items I could into my Treasure Bag. Anything from Doom Seeds to Blinker Seeds. I even threw in a couple Vile, Totter and Warp Seeds into my bag in case we ran into Palkia. I knew the powerful effects of the seeds thanks to Ezra and Priscilla, but with so few in supply, I had to save them for important battles. This qualified as one.

"Okay, I'm good. Let's get going-"

"YOU RUN, BUT YOU CANNOT RUN FOREVER. I WILL FIND YOU!"

"Let's really get going! Come on!" I bolted as fast as I could with Priscilla following me, charging into the Deep Spacial Rift. The enemy Pokemon only got stronger from there, with Hypno, Lunatone, Porygon 2 and Z's along with Dusknoirs, Toxicroaks and Spiritombs roaming the grounds. The ferocious Gallade were thankfully absent though.

"We used a lot of our Vanish and Pure Seeds during the first fifteen floors of Spacial Rift, so we're short on supply now" Priscilla warned me "We'll have to resort to the Temporal Tower tactic of using offensive seeds to bypass lone enemies. That'll leave us at at a disadvantage against Palkia though"

"I managed to snag a few Invisify, One-Room and Luminous Orbs from storage, so we still have means of skipping entire floors in one go" I replied, patting my treasure bag "Still, it's hard to tell how long this section of the dungeon goes, so let's use this stuff sparingly"

Priscilla sighed "We never get a break, don't we? First the future, then Temporal Tower, then the nightmare and now here. It's like we're repeating history with these dangerous and not-at-all suicidal mystery dungeons"

"Thinking of retiring after this is all over?"

"Honestly yes. I think I seen enough for an entire lifetime" Priscilla popped a Vanish Seed and turned herself invisible "I just want to sit down, relax and live peacefully for a couple years at least. Saving the world twice is too much"

I frowned "Since Palkia is hunting us down for disturbing his domain, doesn't that mean we're absolutely the cause of the-"

"Hush. I'm not believing any of that until one of our friends falls victim to the distortion like Azurill. There's still a chance we aren't the culprits. Palkia could of simply been manipulated" Priscilla assured "Besides, believing that you're the cause of the apocalypse drops your spirits like a brick. That's no good for dungeon exploring"

"I suppose so. So our goal is to escape the Spacial Rift and figure out the real reason behind the distortion of space before Palkia kills us?"

"Pretty much. A plan with a miniscule amount of success, but it the only one we got" Priscilla slumped "We're wasting time talking. Let's get moving"

"Right"

On the fifth floor of the Deep Spacial Rift, I used an Invisify Orb on myself and Priscilla to get us pass a rough looking crowd of Toxicroak, Drapion and Dusknoir. The hallway was just wide enough for us to sneak by without being detected and we ended up in the next room, where the stairs were at. Strangely though, a mystical red and white Pokemon was levitating around the room with her eyes dancing around like she was looking for someone. When her eyes fell on us, she called out with a curious voice.

"Excuse me! Have you seen a Pokemon with a body similar to mine, but blue?" The Pokemon asked. The crowd we passed earlier regarded her oddly.

"Who are you talking to Latias? There's nobody here" The Dusknoir said, coming into the room with the Toxicroak and Drapion "Clearly your brother isn't here, but talking to invisible air spirits isn't going to help either"

Latias looked at Dusknoir strangely "No… the two I'm talking to are clearly here. It's a Riolu and Eevee"

"She can see past our Invisify Orb" Priscilla whispered in my ear.

"What are we waiting for? The stairs are right there" I whispered back and both of us bolted to the stairs before Latias cried out "Wait!"

Latias floated behind us and grabbed me by the shoulder, forcing me to face her "Can you answer my question?"

"Oh, so we have invisible intruders here in Palkia's domain. I remember that he was hunting some Pokemon for disturbing space or something like that" Drapion's voice was dry and casual, not exactly what I expected "Ah well, I'm not up for a fight. You guys wanna take them to make Palkia's job easier?"

"Latias said that it was a Riolu and Eevee though. What can they possibly do to disrupt the fabric of space?" Toxicroark argued "I'd say old Palkia's being paranoid again. He's always like that"

"Uhm… I don't remember seeing a Pokemon like you before" I told Latias "Now can you please let me go and not blow our cover? We're kinda being hunted by your god"

"Oh, so you're the ones disrupting the fabric of space" Latias smiled and glowed with white light briefly, melting our Invisify Orb disguise "But you're so small and cute. How can Palkia believe you two can do any wrong?"

"Believe me, we've done a lot to warrant some hate" Priscilla managed an uneasy smile "Now if you excuse us, we have to go. Good luck on your search for your brother"

"Wait! I think you two are a little too weak to handle Spacial Rift's Pokemon alone. Let us protect you" Latias offered "I mean, I believe you're innocent personally. Plus, accompanying you allows me to search for my brother, Latios as well. I can feel that Mystery Part in your bag, Eevee"

"So that's why Latias is here in Spacial Rift. I knew it wasn't some random encounter" Priscilla realized "But what about your companions? Are they alright with coming along?"

"Honestly Palkia's just being a paranoid stick in the mud for suspecting two kids of a global scale crime" Dusknoir said and I rolled my eyes at the mention of being called a kid. Being stuck as a Riolu for all these years really sucks "So I for one, believe you're innocent. What about you two, Drapion and Toxicroak?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't believe you two to be the disruptor of space if someone told me firsthand. I'll help you" Drapion nodded "There's a warp panel at the end of the dungeon that teleports you to the Shimmer Hill, the closest natural dungeon to the Spacial Rift. You can escape that way"

"Good to know. What about fighting though? Can you handle Spacial Rift's enemy Pokemon?" I asked.

"You haven't seen me yet, Riolu" Toxicroak sharpened the crimson red claws on the backs of his hands "I'll make them wish them never picked a fight with us"

"Alright. I don't exactly trust you three due to past history, but Latias looks and acts friendly enough. We need all the help we can get anyways. Watch our backs" Priscilla said firmly.

"Well, I wouldn't blame you for having issues trusting us, even without the aforementioned bad history" Dusknoir crossed his arms "But be assured we'll keep you safe. Your names?"

"I'm Silvin and she's Priscilla" I said.

"Nice to meet you two. I'm Aluciad, Julia's friend and bodyguard" The Dusknoir introduced himself and Latias. He then pointed to Drapion and Toxicroak "These two are Wayland and Vlad respectively"

"Good to meet ya. Now let's get hurrying along" Wayland urged "I think I can hear-"

"STOP RUNNING AND FACE YOUR PUNISHMENT FOR YOUR CRIMES!"

"Yep, he's close. Let's get you to the warp panel then" Vlad pushed me ahead "Fighting Palkia wouldn't be a good idea in any circumstance"

"I could tell. Okay, let's go everyone!"

With our new companions in tow, we rushed into the sixth floor of Deep Spacial Rift. I wasn't sure why we entrusted our lives to complete strangers so easily, but Julia radiated an aura of serenity and peace so powerful that it melted all the tension in my body. I felt like I could trust her. She was bubbly and playful and her own friends were much more… normal than I would've expected from Pokemon like them. Perhaps the other enemy Pokemon in the dungeon are the same.

"What's the Mystery Part Julia said you had?" I asked Priscilla.

"Someone gave it to me as a reward for a rescue mission once. I threw it into the storage since I didn't know what it did at the time, but now I felt like was the time to bring it out. Completely worth it" Priscilla glanced at Julia behind us, who was cheerfully conversing with Aluciad "So according to Niko, the Mystery Part is a catalyst for summoning legendary Pokemon to the user's version of the mystery dungeon. In this case, it summoned Latias and her entourage to Spacial Rift"

"Interesting. I wonder if we can recruit-"

"GROOOOOO! I'M GETTING CLOSE!"

"Damn, he's closer than I thought he was. Enough tallying around everyone" Wayland called "We better start running before Palkia rains spacial slashes on us!"

"Why is he so persistent?! He could of left us to be killed by his dungeon's wild Pokemon!" Priscilla wheezed as we sprinted through the hallways. Any Pokemon that stood in our way were quickly blasted down by Julia's Dragon Pulse or Aluciad's Shadow Sneak. They were powerful allies, which made me worry even more if they were to betray us.

"No time to worry about that. All we need to do is get to the warp panel and get out of here. Then we'll see about Julia's group later" I told myself and dashed towards the staircase room with the others. Palkia clearly didn't give up the hunt easily.

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 68_

 _Moves: Focus Punch, Force Palm, Dig and Brick Break_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 65_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Wave, Quick Attack and Bite_

 _IQ Level: ****_

 _\- Julia, Latias_

 _Level 70_

 _Moves: Mist Ball, Dragon Pulse, Heal Pulse and Recover_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Aluciad, Dusknoir_

 _Level 67_

 _Moves: Shadow Punch, Shadow Sneak, Ice Punch and Disable_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Wayland, Drapion_

 _Level 65_

 _Moves: Cross Poison, Poison Jab, Crunch and Ice Fang_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Vlad, Toxicroak_

 _Level 65_

 _Moves: Poison Jab, Brick Break, Sucker Punch and X-Scissor_

 _IQ Level: **_

 **Welcome to Spacial Rift, continuing the chain of challenging dungeons before the endgame of the postgame. Enemy diversity is huge here, with every type imaginable being present as enemy Pokemon. Strangely enough, Flying types are dominant here (probably due to Palkia's affinity to space) Because of that and all the Psychics roaming around, Silvin and Priscilla's dungeon exploration is less action and more stealth focused using items I rarely show in other chapters. To spice things up, I added a scene with Team Skylar planning on how to find and rescue Silvin and Priscilla as well as the two finding Latias roaming Deep Spacial Rift (She originally appears on the 10th floor of Spacial Rift if you have a Mystery Part, but I threw it here just for convenience. Wouldn't make a difference) If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to give me constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time!  
**


	47. Chapter 45: Revelation and Revolution

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 45: Revelation and Revolution

We made it to the eighth floor of Deep Spacial Rift before stopping to rest. We've been running nearly full sprint for three floors straight and we needed a moment to catch our breath and regain energy. Julia and Aluciad especially needed to rest, considering they were running and fighting nearly all the enemy Pokemon that itched to attack. While Wayland and Vlad guarded the room we were resting in, Priscilla fished two Max Elixirs out of her bag and handed them to Julia and Aluciad.

"Haa… haa… I haven't fought this much in forever. What's with all the Pokemon here being hostile…?" Julia wheezed, then turned to Aluciad beside her "Any idea what's going on?"

"I think Palkia's issued an order to all the Pokemon living here in Spacial Rift to actively hunt down Silvin and Priscilla" Aluciad replied while glugging down his Max Elixir.

"Yeah, he did. I heard his voice sound in my head to hunt down the Riolu and Eevee" Wayland said "And the Pokemon here worship Palkia like a god, so naturally, they'll follow his orders to the letter"

"Which means we shouldn't be sitting around here for too long" Vlad glared at an approaching Hypno and punched it to the ground with Sucker Punch before finishing it off with X-Scissor "Otherwise, we'll be getting a Monster House size full of Pokemon heading our way"

"If I recall correctly, the final floor of Spacial Rift is the next one. Deep Spacial Rift should have nine floors or so" Aluciad frowned "I haven't attempted to escape in so long, so I'm not fully sure"

"What do you mean "attempted to escape"?" I asked "Is there a gatekeeper guarding the warp panel?"

"C'mon Aluciad. Don't scare the kid like that" Wayland scowled "Don't mind him. There's no guard on the ninth floor. Just a straight trip to the warp panel and you're out"

"There's no need to sugarcoat or lie to us, Wayland" Priscilla said "Me and Silvin faced the outraged god of time, Dialga alone. Facing down beasts like Palkia isn't new to us"

"Better for them to know the truth than to be surprised" The Dusknoir turned to us "The ninth floor of Spacial Rift is Palkia's home. He alone guards the warp panel to the outside world and if any of us try to escape, he'll execute us on the spot"

"Me and some of my friends in the old days tried to escape, but without a bag to carry seeds like Vile and Stun, we couldn't hold Palkia down long enough for us to get away" Wayland sighed "Many of my mates lost their lives on those attempts…"

"We thought that since you two have treasure bags, you'll carry enough seeds to incapacitate Palkia for all of us to escape in time" Vlad added "You two are our gateways out to the real world. All of us and Julius are tired of this dreary, miserable land in endless space"

"Not only that, there's also a backup guard of Palkia's most trusted soldiers to protect the warp panel" Aluciad lifted himself off the ground, stretching his arms "Come on, let's move. Palkia and his goons aren't going to-"

Suddenly, Aluciad flinched and stumbled back, followed by Wayland and Vlad.

"Huh? What's the matter Aluciad?" Julia asked the Dusknoir, concerned. The three Pokemon managed to regain their composure quickly, but they looked grim.

"That reckless fool Julius is trying to escape again. I suppose he noticed Palkia was gone to hunt Silvin and Priscilla, but he forgot about the backup guard" Aluciad turned to the left hallway of the room, where a group of Solrock, Lunatone and Spiritomb assembled "We have to break through the enemy Pokemon and reach the next floor before Palkia finds Julius and kills him!"

"And I'm assuming Julius is Julia's brother? This Latios I heard about?" I asked and Julia nodded.

"There's some Tropius, Hypno and Chimecho gathering around the right hallway too!" Vlad called "Charge through there. It's easier to defeat them than the others!"

"Right. We'll break through the right hallway and get to the stairs. It should be around here" Aluciad extended his tall shadow with Shadow Sneak to harry the left hallway's foes, slugging all of them from the back.

"Let's see…" I pulled a Luminous Orb from my bag and shattered it on the floor to project a overhead view of the floor we are on "The stairs are northeast from us. Move right, up and right again to reach there!"

"Alright then. Let's mow em down!" Vlad stabbed an incoming Tropius with Poison Jab while avoiding the Chimecho's Psybeams and Psychics. Wayland used his Psychic type immunity to brave the storm of mind-smashing magic and knocked down rows of Hypnos with Night Slash. Priscilla threw a Petrify Orb to harry the left hallway's approaching Pokemon just as Vlad and Wayland cleared out the right.

"Come on! The Petrify Orb isn't going to hold them for long!" Vlad called, then glanced at the empty skies above us. In the pitch black darkness, a shining ball of light cast it's radiant rays over us "What's that?"

"Sunny Day! Watch out for the Solarbeams Vlad!" Wayland pushed the Toxicroak aside to shield him from a Tropius's incoming Solarbeam "Urrrkk… You… won't… stop me!"

Wayland charged through the burning Solarbeam and snatched the Tropius by the neck, snapping it's throat with his venomous claws. As the Tropius fell to the floor, limp, Wayland directed us to the room leading to the stairs.

"Wayland, you're covered in burns! Let me heal you!" Julia pulsed with the silver white light of Heal Pulse, but the Drapion pushed her ahead.

"No time Julia. We need to delay the incoming mob" Wayland stabbed the ground with his pincers, generating a layer of poisonous spikes. The grounded Pokemon stopped and attempted to find another way past while the levitating Pokemon were shot down by Julia's Dragon Pulse.

"That should hold them. Let's go!" Wayland and Julia headed back to the staircase room before bumping into someone blue and familiar.

"Julia! Thank goodness you're safe" Julius, the Latios hugged his sister tightly, then faced Wayland "Thank you for protecting her Wayland. Where's Aluciad and Vlad?"

"Up on the ninth floor. We're trying to escort a Riolu and Eevee to the warp panel to escape" Wayland replied and Julius gasped.

"We need to help them! I went up there to try and take advantage of Palkia's absence, but someone else was there, messing with Palkia's world globe!" The Latios explained "I asked him what he was doing and he looked at me with surprise before summoning a trio of minions. I think I lost them, but…"

"Doesn't look like you did Julius" Wayland jerked his head to the room's only entrance and exit, where a Gengar, Skuntank and Banette were just arriving "Are these the ones?"

"Yes, but we have no time to deal with them!" Julius exploded in a blinding flash with Luster Purge as the three Pokemon pounced to attack "That figure and Palkia could arrive at any minute!"

"Let's get out of here then" Wayland stabbed the ground to conjure another layer of Toxic Spikes before ascending to the ninth floor, where us, Aluciad and Vlad were facing a figure veiled in black, ragged robes. Behind him was the pink spherical globe of the world.

"Bah, more intruders. Those minions are more incompetent than I thought they would be" The figure's voice was alluringly convincing, like he laced magic into his own words "But I have no time to deal with the lot of you. Farewell!"

"Wait! Who are you and what are you doing in-" Priscilla yelled, but the figure already teleported away. We hiked up the steps leading into Palkia's home cautiously, afraid of the god appearing out of nowhere. At the back of the gigantic homestead was a glowing blue warp panel, with the four bloody bodies of two Gallade and two Electivire.

"That figure must of killed the panel guards" Aluciad glanced at Palkia's world globe in the center "But what was his aim? The world globe allows a mage of godly calibur to manipulate space across the world, but…"

"There can't be anyone like that besides Palkia and his brother Dialga" Wayland said "But anyways, let's stop wasting time. The panel's open and Palkia ain't here. Let's get out of here!"

"NONE OF YOU ARE GOING ANYWHERE!" A purple portal opened behind us and Palkia dropped out of the air, shaking the ground "NO ONE CAN ESCAPE!"

With a swing of his arm, Palkia conjured a purple barrier surrounding the warp panel. Vlad and Wayland pounded on it with their attacks, but the barrier held strong.

"RESISTANCE IS USELESS!" Palkia summoned a water tornado and blew the Drapion and Toxicroak away from the barrier "NO ONE IS RUNNING AND NOBODY IS HIDING. IT IS YOUR FATE TO BE OBLITERATED BY ME!"

"The barrier isn't going down unless we defeat Palkia! We have to fight!" Aluciad called.

"Defeat Palkia? Are you even hearing yourself?!" Julius cried "We're all going to die fighting him!"

"We don't have a choice Julius. It's either we escape or we die" Julia looked more serious than she has ever been "Let's do this everyone! Surround Palkia and hold his attention. Me and Julius will rain Dragon type attacks on him!"

"Distract him in any way we can! Go!" Priscilla yelled and all of us charged, surrounding the god of space on all sides. Priscilla threw a Stun Seed to start, but Palkia expelled a raging aura of space energy that cut the seed in half.

"SPACIAL REND!" The aura surrounding Palkia consumed the god and he reappeared in front of Wayland, slashing away the very atoms of his body with rapid cuts that tore the skin of space. The Drapion flew backwards from the attack and crashed against the wall, alive but heavily wounded. Aluciad flew behind Palkia and slammed his shadow-infused fist into his back with Shadow Punch while Vlad hammered Palkia with a flurry of Poison Jabs. The spatial Pokemon took the attacks like they were nothing and struck back with Dragon Claw, forcing the Dusknoir and Toxicroak to back off. However, that left Palkia open to a Vile Seed from Priscilla. As the seed hit Palkia and completely collapsed his natural defenses, Priscilla yelled.

"Now's the time Julia and Julius! Get him!"

"NOT TODAY!" Palkia teleported in a flash of pink light and sent Julius flying towards the wall, but Julia used Psychic to levitate him away. I punched Palkia's leg with a Violent Seed powered Focus Punch to force his attention away from the Eon duo while Aluciad came in to assist. Vlad was healing Wayland back to health with an Oran Berry.

"YOU MORTALS ARE STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE!" Palkia's tail glistened with a raging wave and he swiped it over me, but I jumped over it to dodge "BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO CHALLENGE ME. THE GOD OF SPACE!"

"Will you just shut up?!" Aluciad held up his finger and multiple lines of dark magic slammed into Palkia's tail, completely disabling it. The Dusknoir moved in to strike Palkia's neck with Shadow Punch, but the spatial Pokemon blasted him backwards with Dragonbreath. A Stun Seed flew through the air and caught Palkia however, completely paralyzing him. Julia and Julius both noticed and fired volley after volley of Dragon Pulse at Palkia, while Wayland and Vlad advanced from behind.

"GAH! TRAITORS TO YOUR GOD!" Palkia roared in anger "YOU HERETICS ARE NEXT!"

"Watch out, you two. He's about to use Spacial Rend again!" Priscilla yelled, noticing the raging core of purple light surrounding Palkia again "Don't let that hit you!"

"Not if I have anything to do about it!" I rushed up to Palkia with my secret weapon in hand: a Hunger Seed. If the seed impacts any Pokemon, they'll instantly be starving to near death. I could only hope gods were affected too.

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" Palkia stomped his foot down, conjuring up powerful eruptions from the floor with Earth Power, sending me to the ground as well as Vlad, Wayland and Priscilla. The Eon twins and Aluciad weren't affected, but Palkia's Spacial Rend was charging fast.

"Aluciad!" I yelled as I struggled to stand "Take this and hit Palkia with it!"

"FOOL!" Palkia conjured an eruption of water from under my feet, sending me flying high into the air. The Hunger Seed fell out of my hand and the spatial Pokemon cut it in two with a wave of purple light, striking me too.

"Silvin!" Priscilla screamed, but I managed to use Force Palm to avoid crashing against the wall. The real worry was that my only Hunger Seed was gone and Palkia's Spacial Rend was about to unleash. Priscilla threw a Totter Seed in desperation while Aluciad, Vlad and Wayland distracted Palkia, but the god was unrelenting in his defense, even after the Vile Seed. Only Julius and Julia's Dragon Pulses made Palkia stagger, but his Spacial Rend was still building and there was no way either of the two would survive.

"MISERABLE FOOLS. YOU CAN'T MATCH UP AGAINST ME!" Palkia slammed the ground again with his foot, sending the grounded Pokemon flying with Earth Power before smashing them down to the ground again with Water Pulse. Priscilla summoned an air mass of Vacuum Cut to avoid it, but Wayland and Vlad were both heavily injured. I used Force Palm's burst of energy to kick me off the wall and get to their side, giving them two Oran Berries to heal them up. From behind Palkia, I could hopefully stop Spatial Rend with a seed.

"THIS IS THE END. SPATIAL REND!" Palkia teleported in front of Julia and Julius, his arms wrapped in devastating nebula energy before violently slashing them to bits in a wild flurry of blades. Miraculously, Julius jumped in front of Julia before the attack executed and used Protect. But the Latios's Protect wouldn't last against Palkia's unrelenting assault.

"Get away from here Julia! Strike Palkia from behind!" Julius yelled, his face taut with sweat and blood from holding up Protect.

"Your Protect isn't going to last forever! Come with me!" Julia pleaded, but Julius shook his head.

"If I dissolve Protect now, Palkia's going to rip me to shreds. Take this chance and defeat him!" Julius faced Palkia again before gasping in pain as the Protect shield shattered. Aluciad managed to grab Julia out of the way as Palkia's relentless slashes tore piece after piece of Julius's body, his screams of pain pure agony to all of us.

"JULIUS!" Julia ran in to help, but Aluciad held her back. If anyone came into contact of Palkia's Spatial Rend, they would be eviscerated too. Priscilla tried throwing a seed at Palkia's back, but a shield of spatial energy dissolved it into purple mist. Palkia buried Julius into the wall before his attack was finished.

"That… that monster of a god killed my brother!" Julia yelled with newfound fury "I'm gonna… I'm gonna…!"

The Latias roared "NOBODY TAKES AWAY MY BROTHER, NOT EVEN A GOD. DRACO METEOR!"

Out of the sky, a shower of meteors came down and slammed against Palkia, exploding in a series of fiery explosions. Palkia tried to counterattack, but meteor after meteor struck him in the face and littered the ground with burning meteor pieces.

"YOU TOOK AWAY MY BROTHER, YOU INJURED MY FRIENDS AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO LOCK ALL OF US HERE IN THIS DAMN PLACE!" Julia screamed "YOU MAY BE A GOD, BUT I'LL KILL YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL!"

More meteors came out of the sky and began burying Palkia into the wall, each one tearing the god's thick skin and leaving dozens of bloody cuts.

"Julia stop it! That's enough!" Aluciad cried "You're just going to kill yourself with this! Stop it!"

"He deserves it! I will keep going until he's-" Julia gasped in a ragged breath, holding her chest. The meteors ceased and the Latias coughed violently before collapsing on the ground, unconscious.

"Julia! Are you-"

"GRROOOO!"

"How the hell is he still alive?!" Vlad cried.

"A GOOD EFFORT, BUT IT'S NOT… IT'S NOT ENOUGH!" Despite his boast, Palkia was panting and covered in bloody scars that weren't closing. He was significantly burned too from the meteors "I DIDN'T THINK THE SISTER WOULD KNOW SUCH A MOVE, BUT IT ISN'T ENOUGH TO BEAT ME!"

"Julius is dead and Julia's unconcious. Both of our best answers to Palkia are…" Priscilla was shaking "How… how can we defeat him now?!"

"YOU FOUGHT HARD, BUT WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND" Palkia's arm began glowing with pink light "ANSWER FOR YOUR CRIMES!"

Palkia swung his arm forward, throwing a crescent blade of spatial energy at before it stopped, the world being enveloped by a thin layer of darkness.

"H-huh? What's going on?" I asked nervously "Why did Palkia's attack stop?"

Vlad walked up to the spatial slash and ran his hand through it. Strangely, his hand passed through like it wasn't even there.

"It's like we're in a completely different plain now. What's going on?" Aluciad wondered.

"Palkia has been… enveloped by the nightmare" A familiar voice said behind us and I jerked back to see Cresselia calmly levitating towards us, her face flat and unemotional "Just like Azurill"

"You! What are you doing here?!" Priscilla growled.

"I came here to warn you" Cresselia blinked, conjuring a shield of pink light, discouraging us from attacking her "Palkia being enveloped by the nightmare, even if he isn't asleep, shows how far the distortion has spread. If left unchecked, the entire world could be drowned in darkness very soon"

"Okay, then why aren't these three unaffected the nightmare? They were fighting alongside us against Palkia too" I countered "Why is Palkia the only one affected by the nightmare?"

"That I cannot answer. However, perhaps you'll want me to send you into Palkia's nightmare?" Cresselia offered "There you can learn why Palkia attacked you. And because the nightmare is fresh, no mystery dungeon has formed yet"

"And why should we trust you when you tried to kill us back in Azurill's nightmare?" Priscilla snarled.

"I was simply trying to delay the world's calamity earlier. Now that you resisted, you're seeing its effects firsthand" Cresselia answered "Now I'm a busy goddess. Don't leave me waiting on my offer"

"You're the one who told Palkia that we were the ones causing the distortion in space, didn't you?" I accused and Cresselia flinched, glaring at me.

"Hmph, you shouldn't be asking me. Ask Palkia himself" Cresselia glowed with pink light "Off you go into his nightmare"

"Wait a minute. We didn't give consent to-" Cresselia ignored Priscilla and teleported us into a space directly identical to Palkia's home in Spacial Rift. Aluciad, Vlad, Wayland and Julia were all gone, so we were alone with Palkia's dream self.

"YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY DREAMS?!" Palkia roared in anger "HMM… I REMEMBER. WE BATTLED! SO WHY AM I DREAMING?!"

"You've been enveloped by the nightmare Palkia" Priscilla answered, clearly trying to contain her nervousness. Only the belief that Palkia couldn't kill us in his dreams kept me from shaking in fear.

"WHAT… WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Palkia glared "I'M IN A NIGHTMARE?"

"Y-yes"

Palkia roared, scaring both of us "THIS PROVES IT THEN. YOU BOTH ARE THE CAUSE OF THE DISTORTION IN SPACE. YOU SHOULDN'T EXIST!"

Palkia raised his arm and it began pulsing with pink light again. Now it was harder to believe Palkia couldn't kill us in the nightmare. It was just a dream… right?

"H-hold on! Wait a minute Palkia!" Priscilla cried "We need to ask you something first!"

"WHAT?"

"Since you govern space and dimensions, can't you fix the distortion yourself? Killing us surely isn't the only way" I said and Palkia shook his head.

"IT'S TRUE THAT I GOVERN OVER DIMENSIONS AND SPACE, BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME… I CANNOT CONTROL THIS PART OF SPACE" Palkia answered "WORSE STILL, THE DISTORTION IS EXPANDING BY THE SECOND AND WILL ENVELOP MORE INTO THE NIGHTMARE. THIS IS YOUR DOING!"

"So Cresselia really was telling the truth… We're the cause of the distortion of space" Priscilla sighed and looked at me with sorrowful eyes, like this was the last time we'll see each other "So the only way to destroy the distortion is for both of us to die. Is that right?"

"YES"

"Fine. I'm ready then" Priscilla sighed "Silvin, are you…"

"I guess I am. I'm ready to die Palkia" Every part of me was screaming that this wasn't the right way, but I had no idea what other alternative we had. Palkia, the god of space and dimensions himself confirms that the distortion is coming from us…

… Or did he?

"Hold on Palkia. Just one more question" I said "Can you sense the distortion of space coming from us? Or did someone else tell you that we're the cause of it?"

That caused Palkia to falter and the light emitting off his arm dissipated. The spatial Pokemon looked around in confusion, like he was digging through his memories.

"I… I REMEMBER A POKEMON NAMED CRESSELIA TELLING ME YOU'RE THE CAUSE OF THE DISTORTION. BUT… I DON'T SENSE ANYTHING ON YOU. THAT'S ODD" Palkia said "YOU SEEM LIKE REGULAR POKEMON. THEN WHY DID-"

"Now what is taking you so long to dispose of them Palkia?" Cresselia warped behind Palkia in a pillar of light "Is the god of space lenient to the point of letting defiliers run free?"

"NO. I DO NOT LET DEFILERS OF MY REALM ESCAPE WITH THEIR LIVES" Palkia replied "HOWEVER, I WAS BLINDED BY FURY WHEN I INITIALLY FOUGHT THEM. NOW THAT I HAVE TALKED AND CALMED DOWN, THEY DON'T SEEM TO BE DRIVEN BY MALICE OR WICKEDNESS. ARE YOU SURE THEY ARE THE CAUSE OF THE DISTORTION?"

"Absolutely. Don't be so quick to be fooled by appearances, Palkia" Cresselia replied, itching closer to us dangerously "They are bad Pokemon that must be eliminated. If they're gone, all will be saved. The world will remain at peace"

"EVEN STILL, I CAN'T FATHOM A REASON WHY OR HOW THEY CAN DISRUPT SPACE. THEY DON'T SEEM TO BE POKEMON CAPABLE OF DOING SUCH A THING" Palkia continued.

Cresselia growled in anger "Fine. I'll take them out myself. Leave your questioning behind and help me. Or get out of my way. Both work"

"NO. I WON'T LET YOU HARM THEM UNTIL I KNOW THE TRUTH"

"So you insist on standing in my way too, hm? Terrible mistake" Cresselia glared in Palkia's direction "You're in my domain now"

A pool of darkness opened underneath Palkia and dozens of shadowy limbs wrestled the spatial Pokemon to the ground. Palkia roared in anger, but he was held fast by the arms.

"Now for the two of you. You evaded death for so long, but now it's over" Cresselia smiled, satisfied "The saviors of the world are of no threat to me anymore"

"I finally found you!" A second Cresselia appeared in front of me and blocked the first Cresselia's attack, forcing her back. The second Cresselia rammed into the first, dissolving the shadowy prison locking Palkia.

"What the- There's two Cresselias?" I asked in confusion.

"You are truly devious to pose as me, Darkrai" The second Cresselia flashed with light briefly, burning the disguise off of the second Cresselia, revealing the figure we saw at Palkia's world globe. Darkrai.

"WHAT? WHO IS THIS?" Palkia growled in alarm.

Cresselia headbutted Darkrai and he tumbled to the ground, struggling to rise "Excellent. I was just in time"

"Curse you… Cresselia!" Darkrai used one arm to raise himself off the ground and levitate. His voice was the same alluring one we heard earlier, but it was now tangled with pure hatred "I would of disposed of these meddlers if it wasn't for you"

"Please listen, Silvin, Priscilla and Palkia" Cresselia said "You've all been fooled this entire time by Darkrai. He appeared in your dreams as me to mislead you and make you believe Silvin and Priscilla are the cause of the distortion. He's been lying to you the whole time. Darkrai is the one causing the world's calamity!"

"WHAT?! THIS IS THE ONE DISTORTING MY SPACE!" Palkia growled, gathering nebula light to strike down Darkrai "YOU DARE TRY TO DECEIVE THE GOD OF SPACE?!"

"Hah, so my plan has been foiled" Darkrai teleported to avoid Palkia's attack "But it's not over yet. The distortion of space is still under my control and I can still wrap the world in shadows"

Darkrai pointed to me "You two, behind Cresselia"

"Us?"

"Come to Dark Crater on Hell's Island if you wish to stop me. Farewell" Cresselia lunged to attack Darkrai, but he opened a portal of darkness and disappeared.

"Damn. I was so close" Cresselia muttered in frustration.

"You cannot catch me Cresselia. Not now and not ever" Darkrai's voice loomed in the air "You two, come to Dark Crater. I will be waiting"

"How odd of him to challenge you directly. It's not like him" Cresselia sighed "Anyways, I'm glad you three are okay. Let's get out of this nightmare"

Cresselia teleported us out of Palkia's dream and we reappeared in reality, just in time to dodge Palkia's previously thrown spatial slash.

"Thank god you two are okay" Aluciad breathed a sigh of relief. Julia was awake, but was leaning against the Dusknoir out of fatigue "What's Cresselia doing here and what about Palkia?"

"Long story short, the Cresselia we met was a fake and it was actually Darkrai. He deceived Palkia into believing me and Priscilla were the cause of the distortion in space" I explained "This is the real Cresselia and Palkia doesn't think we're criminals anymore"

"LATIAS, I'M SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS. I WAS BLINDED BY ANGER AND FURY" Palkia apologized "I CANNOT BEND THE LAWS OF DEATH TO BRING YOUR BROTHER BACK, SO I CAN ONLY OFFER MY APOLOGIES"

"That's… that's okay Palkia. I… I understand how you feel" Julia sniffled and Aluciad wiped the tears off the Latias's face "I wouldn't be any good to get angry at you. I just want to see the outside world"

"THEN THAT'LL BE MY COMPENSATION FOR YOUR LOSS" Palkia decided "YOUR FOUR FROM SPACIAL RIFT HAVE MY PERMISSION TO LEAVE. GO AND EXPERIENCE THE REAL WORLD BEYOND HERE"

"Many thanks, Lord Palkia" Aluciad bowed and the rest of us did the same. Palkia nodded and the barrier surrounding the warp panel dissolved. With bids of farewell to Palkia, we each took the warp panel and teleported out of Spacial Rift. The final challenge awaited us on the Dark Crater, the source of the distortion of space.

It was time to take on Darkrai.

 _Our team:_

 _-Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 68_

 _Moves: Force Palm, Brick Break, Dig and Focus Punch_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 65_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Quick Attack and Bite_

 _IQ Level: ****_

 _\- Selenia, Cresselia_

 _Level 70_

 _Moves: Psycho Cut, Aurora Beam, Lunar Dance and Safeguard_

 _IQ Level: *****_

 _\- Julia, Latias_

 _Level 70_

 _Moves: Draco Meteor, Mist Ball, Dragon Pulse and Heal Pulse_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Aluciad, Dusknoir_

 _Level 67_

 _Moves: Shadow Punch, Shadow Sneak, Ice Punch and Disable_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Wayland, Drapion_

 _Level 65_

 _Moves: Cross Poison, Crunch, Night Slash and Ice Fang_

 _IQ Level: **_

 _\- Vlad, Toxicroak_

 _Level 65_

 _Moves: Poison Jab, Brick Break, Sucker Punch and X-Scissor_

 _IQ Level: **_

 **The Palkia fight is arguably harder than Primal Dialga since Spacial Rend doesn't require a recharge, you can't use Dig in Spacial Rift for some reason and Palkia has less weaknesses than Dialga. However, it can be exploited easily if you have a Hunger or Vile Seed to crush his defenses/make his starve to the point of being unable to use moves. Seeing as Palkia's essentially a god though, such tactics wouldn't work in a setting like this, so I made it Palkia was among the hardest challenges Silvin and Priscilla faces up against. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to give me constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time!  
**


	48. Chapter 46: The Demon's Crater

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Chapter 46: The Demon's Crater

We reappeared on a cliffside overlooking the sea on Shimmer Hill. While Aluciad, Wayland and Vlad were amazed by the amount of colour in the outside world, Julia glanced at the patch of land to the far right of us, where Spacial Rift was presumingly.

"Julius… I made it with the others to the outside world" Julia murmured out to the sea "It's so colourful and pretty. The fresh wind feels divine and the sunlight beaming on my face feels zamazing. I… I wish you were here to experience it too"

"Lady Julia… I'm truly sorry for your loss. If only I had come earlier to calm down Palkia, your brother would be alive" Cresselia apologized "Please forgive me. This is my fault"

"It's okay Cresselia. What has happened happened. It's fate" Julia slumped "I just wish my last words to him weren't a fruitless plead to heal him. He went through so much in his childhood to keep me away from harm and because of that, he died. That's my one regret"

"He fulfilled his goal in breaking you and the others out of Spacial Rift. If he knew that, I can say for sure he'll be happy" Cresselia closed her eyes, letting soft pink light calm Julia down "Ah, how rude of me to not introduce myself. I'm Selenia, maiden of the full moon and goddess of dreams"

"No wonder you knew so much about Julia and Julius. I didn't remember any of us telling you about them" Priscilla said. We were sitting on the cliff edge to rest before travelling back to Treasure Town. Though our quest was urgent, we needed rest after the fight with Palkia.

"So in order to challenge Darkrai, we have to head to Hell's Island far northwest from here" I unrolled my Wonder Map and dragged my finger from our current location, Shimmer Hill to the ashen wasteland northwest "Dark Crater should be this spot behind Mt Mistral and the Giant Volcano"

"Rumor has it that a great meteor fell from the sky in ancient times and crashed onto Hell's Island, creating the Dark Crater as well as awakening the Giant Volcano to spew lava and ash over the land" Priscilla said "So be prepared to handle some ridiculous heat when we venture there"

"Speaking of which, I'm still mulling over why Darkrai challenged you two directly to come to Dark Crater" Selenia frowned "Normally, he operates under the cover of disguises or the shadows. For him to be so involved in his plot to take over the world is unordinary. I never would of expected Darkrai himself to try and assassinate you two"

"Maybe he's trying to lure us into a trap at Dark Crater?" I offered.

"That's the most likely answer. Darkrai himself is cowardly, afraid to face me head on. He'll never be alone in a fight" Selenia replied "So his challenge for you to come to Dark Crater is likely a trap. However, we can't ignore it"

"If we leave Darkrai unchecked, he'll continue to expand the distortion of space until more Pokemon fall into his nightmare" Priscilla agreed "But Selenia, do you know why Darkrai would do this? You're his counterpart, right?"

"That I am. All I can say is that Darkrai wants the power to rise above Lord Arceus as the ruler of this world" Selenia intoned "The more Pokemon plagued by nightmares, the more powerful Darkrai gets. If enough Pokemon are locked in nightmares, Darkrai could potentially have the power to challenge Arceus himself"

"If he can get so powerful, then why is he challenging us to fight him in Dark Crater?" I asked.

"Perhaps he sees you as a threat. Seeing as you two originally saved the world from the planet's paralysis before" Selenia theorized "He wants to get rid of the biggest threats to his plan before attempting to execute it"

"Not to be offensive or anything, but what threat does the god of nightmares see in Silvin or Priscilla?" Aluciad asked "I mean, I heard they defeated the god of time, Dialga, but all of us together were almost crushed by Palkia. Surely Darkrai's stronger than him, right?"

"No actually. Darkrai himself pales in comparison to the gods of time and space like Dialga and Palkia. To make up for this, he specializes in weaving lies and deceptions to turn powerful beings like them on each other" Selenia replied "Like I said earlier however, given enough Pokemon being plagued by nightmares, he could rise in power to challenge the king of the gods himself. We must stop him before this happens"

"What are we waiting for then. Let's get back to Treasure Town, round up as many able Pokemon we can and charge into the Dark Crater and take down Darkrai once and for all" I stood up, but Selenia shook her head.

"This is the one chance we get at capturing Darkrai without him escaping. Only me, Silvin and Priscilla can go" The Cresselia said "Sending more than us will scare away Darkrai and we'll have to track him down again"

"Alright, but before we go, we should stop by Treasure Town to tell everyone we're back and the mission we have to do" Priscilla said "And we have to stop by the guild to cure Azurill. He's suffering under the nightmare just like Palkia was"

"I see. Only I can cure Darkrai's malicious nightmares, so I'll come to cure Azurill" Selenia nodded "After that, I'll give you two some time to prepare before we head to Dark Crater. I can teleport all of us there directly"

"Alright then. Let's start heading back" I rolled up my map and stuffed into my bag before facing Julia's group "But before we head to Dark Crater, I want to ask you guys something. Do you want to join our exploration team: Team Skylar?"

"What's an exploration team?" Julia asked curiously.

"It's basically a band of adventurers that travel around the world, exploring mystery dungeons and finding treasure" Priscilla explained "With a side of rescuing Pokemon and capturing outlaws"

"Personally, I want to explore the world on my own and not get restricted by a team or group" Wayland said "No offense, of course. I'm sure your team is good and all, but I travel the world on my own for the time being. Maybe I'll return someday to join up"

"Same for me. I'm not entirely ready to meet a whole bunch of new people yet" Vlad agreed "Wanna travel together Wayland?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Hey Silvin, you mind lending me your map for a sec?" I handed the Drapion my map and he took it gingerly, careful to not cut it with his pincers "Hm… guess we can start here in Shimmer Hill and head to Mt Travail or the Mystery Jungle"

"I like the sound of Mystery Jungle better. That'll get us closer to Happy Outlook for a chance to take a break and unwind" Vlad replied and Wayland nodded, handing me back the map.

"Be careful when you're out exploring. Some other Pokemon might mistake you for brigands or street rogues" Priscilla warned and Julia looked puzzled.

"That's strange. Wayland and Vlad are the sweetest men I've known. They wouldn't hurt a fly" Julia smiled and the two blushed "Oh and Aluciad too, of course"

"I know, but other Pokemon don't know that. Drapion and Toxicroak tend to send danger signals to most here" Priscilla said "So be careful"

"Alright then. Thanks for getting us out of there, Silvin and Priscilla. I know for sure you two can beat Darkrai" Wayland nodded at us "Beat up that specter for us, would you? Make him pay for killing Julius"

"You wanna go along with them, do you?" Vlad asked Julia and Aluciad "I can tell the whole exploration team idea is pretty tempting for you"

"If you two are leaving, then I only have Aluciad for company" Julia clung to the Dusknoir with a smile "I want to make new friends here in the new world and learn about their culture and experiences. I'm sorry Wayland and Vlad but… I have my own decisions too"

"That's alright Julia. We've been together long enough to understand what we all want" Wayland patted Julia's head "So you two are going along to join Team Skylar?"

"Wherever Julia goes, I'm going with her too" Aluciad replied "And I'm not opposed to the idea. Exploring the world as a team sounds like a lot of fun"

"Then it looks like this is goodbye" Vlad and Wayland hugged the two and they hugged them back. The whole scene brought a smile to my face.

"We'll come back to see you guys again. You have my word" Wayland promised "Enjoy the new life Julius gave to us in exchange for his and cherish it"

"I will Wayland. Thank you both for everything" Julia smiled when the two let go "Stay safe out there"

"You too and good luck against Darkrai, Silvin and Priscilla!" Vlad waved us goodbye as the two began to enter Shimmer Hill "Don't let that deviant of a god beat you!"

"Farewells are always hard to make, especially if you share long history with them" Selenia sighed as Wayland and Vlad disappeared into the mystery dungeon "My own mother shared the same fate with me, although on a much more bloody scale…"

The Cresselia shook her head "Enough about that. Let's get all of us back to Treasure Town. Darkrai isn't going to wait forever"

Selenia began glowing with bright pink light and similar veils appeared under our feet.

"To Treasure Town we go" Selenia whispered and the veils transported us straight to the familiar crossroads outside town. The market was busy and bustling like usual on an afternoon day. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. The nightmare hopefully hasn't spread this far yet.

"Well, it's going to be hard to explain our sudden reappearance-"

"Silvin! Priscilla! There you are!" Henry soared down from the sky and smothered both of us in a hug "Where have you been?"

"Long story short, we were abducted by Palkia, taken to his domain far east and found out the true culprit behind the distortion" Priscilla explained as Henry let go of us. I brushed a large grey feather off my shoulder "We also recruited some new members for Team Skylar"

"So I'm assuming you're going to go kill the Pokemon behind the distortion?"

I nodded.

"And before you ask, only me, Silvin and Selenia here can go. Bringing too many is just going to scare Darkrai away" Priscilla said "So bring Julia and Aluciad to camp and tell everyone that we're back. We're going to the guild to cure Azurill first"

"Alright. It sucks we can't be together for a little reunion, but I understand your goal. This Darkrai's threatening the entire world after all" Henry nodded "Speaking of which, you three might still have to visit the camp. The distortion spread past Oran Forest and reached us. Eliana fell into the nightmare state just like Azurill yesterday"

"Where did you guys move the camp?" Priscilla asked worriedly.

"We moved down to Tiny Meadow for the time being, but Zach's been worrying to death over Eliana's condition. We need to get back there and cure her before you three leave to fight Darkrai" The Staraptor pleaded "Please?"

"I'd like to have a peace of mind before heading to the Dark Crater, so I'd be happy to" Selenia nodded, rustling her luminous pink wings "Here, take this Lunar Wing back to Eliana to cure her. It'll free her from Darkrai's nightmare instantly"

A single light green feather fell from Selenia's radiant wings and Henry caught it, storing it into his Treasure Bag quickly.

"Okay, I'll fly back to camp with Julia and uhm… Aluciad. Man, what an odd name" Henry said and the Dusknoir simply sighed "While you three cure Azurill and go to Dark Crater. Good luck against Darkrai and please come back alive"

"We will Henry. I promise" Priscilla nodded "Now get going. Eliana and Zach aren't going to wait forever"

"Right! You three can defeat Darkrai and save the world. I know you can!" Henry flapped his wings and rose into the air "Julia and Aluciad, follow me!"

"Best of luck, you three. Take down the beast that killed Julius" Aluciad nodded to us "Don't make his sacrifice be in vain"

"Make him regret messing with this colourful, peaceful world. Any who dare do that have a heart bound in darkness" Julia kissed me and Priscilla both on the cheek "And you three are the shining light that'll drive that darkness away. Kick him to the ground for us!"

"We will. Thanks for the encouragement!" Priscilla and I waved the three goodbye and they disappeared into the clouds passing by. We headed into the guild, scaring the wits out of several Pokemon there both for our sudden appearance and Selenia's. We found Azurill still sleeping in our old room.

"What the- Silvin and Priscilla?" Ezra looked genuinely alarmed to see us "Where have you two been? You've been missing for two whole days!"

"I saw a posting on the rescue mission board reporting you two missing" Drowzee breathed a sigh of relief "Thank goodness you're back. What happened?"

"We've been abducted by Palkia and taken to his home, Spacial Rift" I explained quickly "Anyways, Selenia is here to cure Azurill from his nightmare. Step aside, please"

As Ezra and Drowzee stood back, Selenia approached Azurill and let the soft light radiating off her body flow onto him. The Cresselia's light erased all the tension within myself and in the room, making me feel relaxed, calm and content. The pink light continued to flow gently onto Azurill before he opened his eyes, blinking them to the unfamiliar world around him.

"W-where am I…? Marill? Where are you? " Azurill murmured in woozy confusion.

"I'm right here Azurill. It's going to be okay" Marill revealed himself beside Drowzee "Was the nightmare scary?"

"Yeah… I remember stumbling through the dark and seeing the Treasure Town people with creepy red eyes. It was really scary!" Azurill seemed to regain his peppy energy fast, his voice rising with every second.

"Thank you so much Ms Selenia. You're amazing" Marill beamed and Azurill did the same, grinning "You two as well, Drowzee and Ezra"

"Huh? Me?" Drowzee asked in confusion.

"You stayed by Azurill's side the entire time alongside Miss Ezra. Thank you so much for that" Marill grinned and Azurill nodded in jumpy agreement. Drowzee gave them an embarrassed smile.

"Ah shucks, it was the least I could do" Drowzee replied modestly.

"Well, now I believe is a good time to head to Dark Crater" Selenia glanced outside the window "Moonlight and darkness always feeds Darkrai power and we would rather not have that when we fight him"

"Alright. Give us some time to restock and prepare for the trip at our camp. May as well get some blessings of good luck as well" Priscilla replied.

"I'll be waiting for you on the edge of Sharpedo Bluff. Meet me there when you're ready to leave" The Cresselia nodded and teleported away in a flash of light.

"I can tell this is going to be among your hardest battles to fight and truthfully, it's hard for me to let you go off on your own" Ezra admitted "I'll brew up some Oran and Sitrus Berry extracts to help you out, as well as a few Heal Seed potions. They're much more potent than their single-berry versions, so use them wisely"

"Thank you Ezra. Honestly, thinking about it now, you've changed a lot over the years" I noted as we made our way out of the guild, alongside Drowzee, Azurill and Marill "You're more open with your emotions and you don't feel as cold and strict as before"

"A life of isolation before my arrival leaves a mental state that's hard to mend" The Absol replied "Only now are you breaking my shell"

"Well, at least one part of you hasn't changed" Priscilla smiled lightly "Anyways, we'll be in Treasure Town sorting around our storage. We'll meet you at the camp for our extracts"

"I'll see if anyone else is willing to contribute. Good luck charms, exclusive items, special orbs, anything that would help" Ezra nodded "I suppose you don't have the time to visit the camp?"

"Sadly no. We have to stop Darkrai as fast as possible, before his nightmare engulfs more of the world" I replied defiantly "So we'll prepare in Treasure Town, receive your extracts at the camp and then we'll be off"

"I'll send Henry with a care package to save you some time then" The Absol said "Now go on and prepare. Your final battle is approaching"

Uncharacteristically, Ezra hugged both of us, whispering in our ears "Come back to us safe and sound, alright?"

When the Absol let go, she smiled lightly and dashed off back to camp.

"Well, that was unexpected. I didn't think she was one for physical contact" I patted my treasure bag "Anyways, let's get to town and start preparing. We need every advantage we can get to fight Darkrai"

We visited Duskull Bank first and withdrew all the money we had and nearly bought Kecleon's Shop clean of their supplies. Apples, Oran Berries, Iron Thorns, Wonder Orbs, Reviver Seeds, utility seeds, everything.

"Best of luck against Darkrai, you two" The green Kecleon said "Azurill and Marill told us everything that happened. First Drowzee has been reprimanded and now you're about to save the world again. Today's the day for strange events"

"Nevertheless, we'll be rooting for you all the way" The purple Kecleon grinned "We'd give you all the supplies you need for free but…"

"No, no, there's no need to. We have more than enough money to buy all that we need" Priscilla shook her head as she handed the Kecleon brothers a large sum of Poke "Thank you for your service as always"

"Always a pleasure. Good luck and be careful!" The two waved us goodbye as we went down to Kangaskhan Storage.

"I was worried sick about you two children when I heard you were missing" Kangaskhan sniffed "And now you're going off to fight a primordial force than can threaten the entire world. I want to beg you to not go, but I can't convince you otherwise, can I?"

"I'm sorry Ms Kangaskhan, but we have to do it. Darkrai challenged us and we have to take this chance before he escapes again. It's the only way we can defeat him" Priscilla apologized "If it'll give you a peace of mind, can you give us our storage key to access our items? Some of them will be useful in the Dark Crater"

"Stay safe, children. Both of your futures will be bright and I'd weep to see if squandered now" Kangaskhan wiped her eyes as she gave us our storage key "Please, please stay safe"

We went into the storage room and withdrew all the unique and valuable utility seeds and orbs we could use against Darkrai. Totter, Vile and Hunger Seeds were our secret weapons against him, although I wasn't sure how well the Hunger Seed would work after the incident with Palkia. We also took plenty of Foe Seal, Foe Hold and Petrify Orbs to take care of Monster Houses. Seeing as we can't bring Zach, Niko or Alster, Priscilla's Vacuum Cut was the only way to deal with them naturally and it was horribly weak as an offensive move now.

"Alright, looks like we have everything we need. I have my Prism Ruff and you have your Emit Ring and Valiant Rock. Let's wait for our care package from Henry and then get to the Dark Crater" Priscilla handed Kangaskhan back our key and we went to Duskull Bank to deposit our remaining money. Just in time, Henry came swooping down with a package tucked in his talons.

"Five Oran and Sitrus Berry extracts, five Heal Seed potions and an exclusive item for Silvin" Henry reported "Go on and open it up"

We opened the cardboard package and stored the berry extracts in our bags. At the bottom was a dark iron ring with a core of raging blue fire. I could feel the protective aura surrounding it.

"That's… that's a Ravage Ring! The rarest exclusive item for the Riolu family" Priscilla faced Henry "When did our team find this?"

"We had a Lucario Card and Fang in the exclusive items bin and traded it in for a Pledge Rock" Henry replied "Then we traded that in for the Ravage Ring. Thought this was a good time to give it to you Silvin"

"Silvin, this'll give us a huge advantage over Darkrai" Priscilla said "The Ravage Ring is said to protect its wearer of mind-breaking energy such as Psychic attacks. Darkrai won't have any way to easily kill you if you have this on"

"I don't know what to say… this is such a valuable gift" I grinned "Tell the team thanks for me Henry"

"Will do. Are you two going now?"

"Yes. We're fully prepared to head to Dark Crater" Priscilla nodded before hugging Henry tight "Tell the team that we're thankful for the life they've given us as an exploration team. As the co leader, I couldn't be more proud of how far we've come"

"Now, now, don't start talking like that yet. You WILL defeat Darkrai. I know it down in my heart" The Staraptor patted Priscilla head "Now get going you two. Time for you to kick Darkrai to the depths of the underworld"

"Right"

After all of that was done, we finally met Selenia at the edge of Sharpedo Bluff. She was staring out to the sea distantly, admiring the natural beauty before noticing us.

"Oh? You're ready to go?"

"Yes. Take us to Dark Crater. Let's defeat Darkrai once and for all"

"Very well" Selenia closed her eyes, summoning faint pink veils underneath our feet that swirled with increasing energy "To Dark Crater we go"

The pink light grew stronger until we were enveloped by a pillar and transported across the sea onto Hell's Island. The instant we appeared, I was blasted by the smell of sulphur, smoke and ash. I had a bad feeling my lungs weren't going to be in good shape after this.

"Welcome to the Dark Crater, the dungeon created by the great meteor" Selenia said gravely, briefly glowing with light to cure our smoked lungs "We have no idea what Darkrai has in store for us inside, so proceed with caution. Be careful not to fall into the lava either"

"We can use the lava as a natural weapon against Dark Crater's inhabitants, right?" Priscilla asked and Selenia shook her head.

"Most of the Pokemon living here are Fire type and thus, immune to lava. Only Hippowdon and Mismagius will be affected" The Cresselia frowned "The lava will only be a hindrance to us. Walk and fight with utmost caution"

"Got it. Let's move in then" I said and we entered the Dark Crater, being assaulted by the intense humidity and heat rapidly.

"In hindsight, it would of been a good idea to bring those Rainy Orbs" I wiped a ton of sweat off my head "Because by holy Arceus, is it hot in here"

"Huh, I didn't know the Prism Ruff's effects extended to natural weather as well" I glanced and noticed a faint prismatic shield surrounding Priscilla "Because I don't feel hot at all here"

"Lucky you. At this rate, I can fill two buckets full of my sweat" I sighed as we trudged along the barren and burning rock path that formed the dungeon's hallways. So far, no enemy Pokemon encountered so far. Good. The less I have to fight, the more energy I'll have against Darkrai.

"This should help you" Selenia briefly glowed with soft blue light, projecting a barrier around me with Safeguard. Instantly, the temperature around me dropped like a brick back to regular room temperature, saving me from burning up out of sheer heat.

"Oh thank goodness. You're a lifesaver Selenia" I relaxed and checked my treasure bag. I was worried about our items burning up due to being so close to lava and unfortunately, a few seeds and berries melted in my bag "Ugh. Well, that's a couple items I'm not getting back"

"No wonder Darkrai chose this place to be his battleground. He knows the environment will wear us down before fighting him" Selenia remarked "If you plan to explore here, you either need to be a Water type Pokemon or have serious heat protection. Otherwise, you'll burn simply by standing here"

""A battle can be won simply by choosing the right battlefield"" I quoted as we met our first enemy, a Growlithe. The fire dog snarled and pounced towards my face, but I bashed it back with Force Palm and Selenia finished it off with Psycho Cut "Clearly Darkrai's following that quote here"

"Indeed. That devious man couldn't have chosen a worse place for us to challenge him in" Selenia stared in front of us distantly "Yet I have to reach him. To know the reason behind this insane plot for power"

"Do you have any relationship with Darkrai aside from being his counterpart and rival?" Priscilla asked.

"From what I know, the Cresselias and Darkrais are the result of the splitting of the original god of the moon and dreams" Selenia replied "Upon splitting into two deities, the original Cresselia and Darkrai warred against each other for ages, producing offspring to continue the fight every generation"

"And I'm assuming the cycle is continuing today, with you and Darkrai still fighting each other" I guessed and the Cresselia nodded.

"Every scion of the Darkrai line have different goals and ambitions in mind. Yet the great power of nightmares and darkness corrupted each and every one of them, turning their goals into ones of evil" Selenia explained "The Cresselias are bound by the law of Arceus to combat the Darkrai of each generation, as we know them the best"

"To think that this can happen again in the next generation… it starts to devalue the importance of this mission" Priscilla said "So even if we defeat Darkrai today, another one will just come next time"

"Don't think about it like that. Beating Darkrai now will keep the world intact and in peace. This is the most ambitious a Darkrai has ever been in eons" Selenia assured "Rest assured, any future Darkrais wouldn't come up with a plot so devious"

"Let's hope so. I'm done with dealing with primordial forces like gods and deities in one lifetime" I parried a Combusken's Double Kick before punching it in the face with Brick Break, letting Priscilla finish it with Quick Attack "Strange. There isn't a lot of wild Pokemon around here"

"Perhaps Darkrai has rallied the wild Pokemon to fortify the defenses deeper in Dark Crater" Selenia theorized "I believe he wants us to be down and weakened by the mass of wild Pokemon deeper in the dungeon so he can finish us easily. Best to not waste energy on Pokemon that can be avoided now"

"We have experience with avoiding enemy Pokemon" Priscilla pulled out an Invisify Orb from her bag "Maybe we can use these to avoid the wild Pokemon down in the lower floors? That way, we can conserve our energy for Darkrai"

"That could be a good idea. The only Pokemon that can possibly detect us are the Mismagius. All the rest are wholly unfamiliar with magic such as that" Selenia nodded "Save the orbs and Vanish Seeds for Deep Dark Crater. Now's not the time"

We trudged through floor after floor of Dark Crater, battling increasingly more Pokemon the deeper we went. Selenia kept up her Safeguard barrier, but didn't seem winded in the slightest, even when fighting other Pokemon. Being a goddess has many perks, I suppose.

"If it weren't for your Safeguard, I would of been burned ten times over" I said as I brawled with a Monferno. The fire monkey was tougher than I expected and landed a few solid hits on me with Mach Punch and Flame Wheel. If I couldn't beat him through sheer force, I'd had to use tactics. Be creative with my moves. I caught the Monferno's Flame Wheel in my hands and used the momentum to flip him over my head with Reversal and slam him to the ground. A decisive Brick Break to the rib cage ended his life.

"You know, while the Pokemon here aren't as dangerous as Spacial Rift, they are certainly more ferocious" Priscilla threw a Blast Seed into a Hippowdon's gaping mouth, making it explode in a burst of sand hippo flesh.

"Naturally. In order to even survive a week here, you must be a strong Pokemon that can handle the extreme conditions of Hell's Island, as well as the deadly predators" Selenia replied "Such as the Hippowdon, Arcanine and Rhyperior. Blaziken gets a special mention for being a top notch fighter as well"

"I see. We should watch out for those Pokemon then" I turned to my left and saw an Arcanine charging at me with Flare Blitz. I charged up Focus Punch to meet the attack head on, but a random Shadow Ball came out of nowhere and knocked me to the ground. The Arcanine was about to run me over before Selenia stepped in and blasted the Arcanine's mind to bits with Psychic, making him stagger in confusion.

"Let me handle the Mismagius hiding in the walls" The Cresselia fired three Psycho Cuts into the wall beside us, which resulted in a banshee-like wail to echo through the burning caverns "The spirits of dead witches possessed pieces of cloth and became Mismagius, you know. They're quite deadly"

"I could tell" My eyes moved to a staircase beaming with low crimson light. That alone made me a little scared to walk down "There's the staircase. What floor are we on now?"

"Floor fifteen. We should make it to the midway point next and then move to the Deep Dark Crater" Selenia replied "Be wary. If you thought the enemy Pokemon were vicious here, the Deep Dark Crater is the equivalent of the deepest depths of the ocean. Hell's Island's deadliest lurk here"

"And Darkrai is gathering all of his troops there" Priscilla patted her treasure bag "I got the seeds and orbs ready for those though"

"Alright. Let's go then"

After a brief rest at the midway point and a quick restock from the nearby Kangaskhan Rock, where Priscilla wondered out loud how it could of possibly ended up here, we headed into the Deep Dark Crater. The enemy Pokemon here were much stronger than the ones in the Dark Crater. We found ourselves fighting several Infernapes, Typhlosions and Rapidashs at once, relying on Selenia's goddess-level strength to take them out. Had we been alone, both me and Priscilla would simply be ash on the fiery winds.

"I would do anything for a fire absorbing exclusive item right now" Priscilla stepped back to dodge an incoming fire disc, which collided to the ground and erupted in a pillar of lava "I'm wasting so much of my energy dodging all of these a-attacks!"

Priscilla sidestepped to dodge a Fire Blast from a Typhlosion up ahead and almost dropped into a pool of lava. Acting fast, I snatched the Eevee's neck and pulled her back while Selenia dealt with the Typhlosion and Charizard duo.

"You know what… I don't want to try and fight anything here. Let's try and skip a couple floors with Pure Seeds, One Room Orbs and Luminous Orbs" Priscilla decided, reaching into her bag "The problem is that I only have three Pure Seeds on hand. Enough to skip one floor"

"I wasn't able to find any in the storage, so I don't have any extras" I glanced at Selenia "And Selenia isn't even carrying a treasure bag, so she can't hold items"

"Can't you just teleport us to the end of the dungeon, Selenia?" Priscilla asked "Pretty sure that's where Darkrai is waiting for us"

"Sadly no. I can only teleport myself and others if I've seen the area before" Selenia took a Torkoal's Body Slam head on and struck back with Psychic, sending the dazed Torkoal into a nearby lava pit. Thankfully, it was smart enough not to challenge Selenia again "Even divine deities like me have l-limitations. Gah!"

"What's the matter?"

"The stupid Torkoal paralyzed my neck with Body Slam. I can… hardly move it now…! Ugh, my Safeguard barrier wore off at just the wrong time" Selenia seemed frustrated by her inability to cure it on her own "Of all the powers Lord Arceus granted me, why can't I cure my own status problems?"

"Here, this'll help" Priscilla fed Selenia a Heal Seed and the Cresselia was able to move her head again "You good?"

"Yes. Thank you very much Priscilla" Selenia nodded and erected another Safeguard shield around us "I should be more careful. If Safeguard wears off during the fight against Darkrai, he could capitalize on that to inflict devastating nightmares on us. I need to remain focused"

"I would say that we'll take on the enemy Pokemon to preserve your energy, but…" I gritted my teeth at an incoming Flareon behind me, baring it's jaws with Fire Fang "Both me and Priscilla are sorely outmatched"

I darted back to avoid the chomp and slugged the Flareon in the chin, then punched it in between it's eyes to knock it out. Like Grass types however, Fire types left nasty side effects while fighting them. I found my fist scorched and black skin tissue marked my knuckles.

"Ugh, I'd hate to waste an Oran Berry like this, but punching with a burnt fist is impossible…" I dug out an Oran Berry with my spare hand and consumed it, letting the tangy taste mend the crispy flesh together. We still had the extracts Ezra gave us, so we weren't relying entirely on berries for healing. Plus, Selenia could heal herself and us with Moonlight, so as long as we had Max Elixirs, healing wasn't an issue.

"Let us and Priscilla handle Pokemon from a distance. That way, you can avoid burning your body by activating their Flame Body abilities" Selenia advised "You can deal with the Hippowdon and Rhyperior. They shouldn't pose too much of a threat to you"

"I don't want to put my hand anywhere near a Hippowdon's jaw, but alright" I shrugged "A good Blast Seed in the mouth handles Hippowdon readily"

"Whatever works for you" Selenia sliced a line of Blaziken and Infernape in two with a single Psycho Cut, then looked around us worriedly "The enemy Pokemon just keep on coming. Did we perhaps trigger a Monster House?"

"I think we did. Either that or most of Darkrai's troops lurk here" Priscilla distracted a trio of Ponyta with Wide Slash before blowing up a Blast Seed in their faces, sending them sprawling into the lava pool "We should use our Pure Seeds and get out of here"

"Agreed. We'll wasting too much time and energy fighting these minions" Selenia generated a mind-breaking field of psychic energy around her, making all the nearby enemy Pokemon fall into each other like bowling pins. Priscilla tossed her a Pure Seed and then me and together we teleported to the stairs in a pillar of yellow light.

"Third floor of Deep Dark Crater. Keep yourself steady and sane" Even Selenia was starting to sound winded and partially out of breath. Clearly, this god forsaken place was even hard for goddesses to traverse. What made me think normal Pokemon like me and Priscilla could do it? Even with divine help, we were still struggling to make it through. I shook my head. Those thoughts definitely weren't mine. I had no intentions of giving up, even if I was going to die doing it.

"You're getting those thoughts too, huh?" Priscilla noticed my distraught look and kissed me on the cheek lightly "Pay no mind to it. Darkrai's probably trying to demoralize you and force you to give up"

"I know. But we'll continue to fight until our last breath. Do you think the same Priscilla?"

"Of course Silvin. If it means saving the world, our friends and you, I'll do anything" The Eevee squeezed my hand briefly before letting go "Now show some more energy. You're acting a bit gloomy"

"I'm trying to. Everything around me isn't helping"

"Just think of the guild and our friends at home. Think of the things you cherish and want to fight for" Priscilla leaned in to whisper in my ear "Think of me and what you'll do to protect me"

"You know what gets me going the best" I tried a light smile "Well, it's like you said on Temporal Tower "Who walks into battle depressed? If you're fighting to save the world, you have to have your head held high at least""

Priscilla smirked "How ironic we're bringing this up in the Dark Crater. This may as well be the final mystery dungeon of this quest as well"

"I hope so" I rolled my shoulders back, relaxing "Well, it's only a couple floors to go probably. Let's get a move on"

"That's what I like to hear"

 _Our team:_

 _\- Silvin, Riolu_

 _Level 70_

 _Moves: Force Palm, Brick Break, Focus Punch and Dig_

 _IQ Level: ***_

 _\- Priscilla, Eevee_

 _Level 68_

 _Moves: Wide Slash, Vacuum Cut, Quick Attack and Bite_

 _IQ Level: ****_

 _\- Selenia, Cresselia_

 _Level 70_

 _Moves: Psycho Cut, Psychic, Safeguard and Moonlight_

 _IQ Level: *****_

 **Woo hoo for the second last chapter in the story. I'll be releasing the finale and epilogue together very soon, so be patient and wait for the final climax of Explorers of Light and Shadow. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to give constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time!  
**


	49. Final Chapter: Undying Hope

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Final Chapter: Undying Hope

After another eleven floors of grueling brawls with multiple Fire type Pokemon, we finally made it to the fourteenth floor of Deep Dark Crater, which was confirmed by Selenia to be the final floor before the end of the dungeon. Right in front of us were two doors made of cracked, melted stone, with magma flowing down the top into rivers beside us.

"There's only one place for Darkrai to hide and it's just up ahead" Selenia closed her eyes, briefly shining a ray of moonlight over herself and us to heal our many burns and wounds "Steel yourself physically and mentally. Darkrai will do anything to try and trick you before he has to fight"

"Duly noted" Prsicilla handed me a Violent Seed, a Vanish Seed and a Stun Seed "Keep these hidden from Darkrai and use them to land a decisive Focus Punch on him. That should chunk him hard off the bat"

"Alright. Keep a Petrify or Foe Fear Orb on hand just in case he summons minions. If Selenia has taught us anything about Darkrai, it's that he never fights alone" I said and the Cresselia nodded in agreement.

"Correct. Darkrai never fights alone, always in the company of goons or others to reinforce him. I wouldn't be surprised if he surrounds us the moment we enter" Selenia agreed "Be on your guard when and if we talk to him"

"Understood. Let's go then. The final fight against Darkrai lies beyond these doors" Priscilla beckoned me forward and I pushed open the heavy stone doors, revealing a large open cavern with a miniature volcano flowing with lava at the back. Aside from the circular land mass we were on, all around us was a massive lava lake.

"He doesn't seem to be here…" Priscilla whispered as we walked to the center of the circle. I tried to sense any invisible presences with my aura, but there was nothing besides the bubbly sound of lava flowing underneath us. Selenia glared however, noticing something wrong.

"I sense a powerful dark presence here. Darkrai is here. I know it" Selenia cleared her throat, then shouted "Darkrai, we know you're here. Come out!"

"Hmph… so you came. I knew Cresselia would arrive, but you two would carelessly throw your lives away to try and stop me? How annoyingly valiant" A writhing mass of shadows appeared in front of us and formed to create Darkrai, a vengeful creature draped in ripped black robes and a blood red scarf around his neck. A tuft of tall, stark white hair that flowed like a wisp covered his left eye. Only a cyan eye eyed us with obvious distaste.

"What's your aim? Why do you keep hounding after us?" Priscilla asked "You don't even know us!"

Darkrai smiled darkly "I know you two all too well. Especially you Silvin"

"... What can you possibly know about me?" I growled "If you're going to go on a "me and you are not so different" speech, then forget it. I'll just straight up punch you in the face"

"Be grateful I'm not wasting your energy then because that's not what I'm talking about" Darkrai locked eyes with me directly "When you and Grovyle travelled back to the past to attempt and stop the planet's paralysis again, you had an accident. Did you not?"

"How do you possibly know-"

"Answer the question. Did you or did you not have an accident when you travelled back in time? An accident that turned you into a Pokemon and erased all your memories" Darkrai continued "Does the events surrounding said accident feel odd to you?"

I sighed "Fine. I'll humor you. There was an accident during me and Grovyle's time travel that turned me into a Pokemon and wiped all my memories. What of it?"

"The cause of that accident was orchestrated by none other than… me" Darkrai smiled as he watched our expressions of shock and horror.

"What was the purpose of that? What's your true goal Darkrai?" Selenia asked, glaring daggers at the nightmare god. Darkrai simply regarded Cresselia like an angry child.

"Cresselia, my counterpart doomed to a path of good, not ambition… my only wish is to engulf the world in darkness and gather enough power to challenge Arceus himself over the throne" Darkrai replied sinisterly "In order to do that, I set my sights on Temporal Tower first due to it's connection to time. I stole the Time Gears from the Temporal Pinnacle and gave them to the first Pokemon of civilization, calling them legendary relics that must be protected at all costs"

"You knew the removal of the Time Gears would eventually start the destruction of time" Priscilla growled through gritted teeth "And you even fooled our ancestors into believing the Time Gears belonged here, not the Temporal Tower"

"Correct. However, Silvin and Grovyle began to meddle with my plan" Darkrai stared at me with hate filled eyes "They learned of the real purpose of the Time Gears and attempted to bring them back to Temporal Tower. They failed a handful of times and travelled back in time to do it again. However, on the magical thirteenth attempt, I struck while they were travelling through the time stream"

"Such an attack from you especially would make the victim instantly scatter into particles" Selenia said "But Silvin and Grovyle are still alive. What, were you too weak at the time?"

Darkrai growled in response "No. An unforeseen event prevented the death of both of them. My attack would of killed Grovyle, but Silvin… you shielded him from my attack. That resulted in your transformation into a Pokemon, the wiping of your memories and your drop into the current timeline"

"Quite a heavy amount of side effects of your attack, yet you couldn't kill him" Selenia smiled "Are you growing weaker Darkrai?"

"Don't. Taunt. Me. Cresselia" Darkrai glared as he closed his fist, erecting a dozen shadow knives to slam into a nearby boulder, making it explode into pieces "Perhaps it's Silvin's unnaturally strong desire to protect his partner that stopped his death, but I have not grown weaker. Not in the slightest"

"So what then? You erased my memories and twisted the logic of every Pokemon in the world that the Time Gears aren't to be tampered with. So how did you lose?"

"I underestimated their resourcefulness. You found out the truth behind the Time Gears and reunited with Grovyle to stop the destruction of Temporal Tower" Darkrai replied "I underestimated how fast you would realize and meddle with my plan again. It ended in failure thanks to you"

"So that why you targeted Silvin and Priscilla first when you hatched your new hideous plot" Selenia realized "You felt they were so much of a threat that you tried to assassinate them personally under the guise of me!"

Darkrai remained creepily silent, so Selenia continued.

"Even now, I know you're still trying. That's why you lured us here to the Dark Crater to take all of us out in one fell swoop!"

"Heh, heh, heh… you know me far too well Cresselia. I commend you for predicting what I intended to do" Darkrai smiled and we backed away slightly "However, I've had a change of heart"

"A what now?"

"I'd like to present an offer to you, Silvin and Priscilla" Darkrai's voice began to lace with persuasive magic. It took all of my willpower to resist groveling at Darkrai's knees, begging him to tell me his next command. It was that convincing "Both of you are brave and show great potential. Among unevolved Pokemon, you are by far the strongest"

"What are you getting at?" I growled.

"To kill those of such great power… is a tragic waste" Darkrai continued "Both of you show such promise. Why not join me in ruling the world? I'll spare all of your friends of the nightmare naturally and you may walk the earth as a god, uninhibited by anything you want to do. All you have to do is join me and… destroy Cresselia forever"

"Don't believe his lies, Silvin and Priscilla! He's trying to persuade you using magic to get his way!" Selenia warned, her eyes darting to Priscilla's somber look "Priscilla! Are you listening?"

"Maybe… maybe Darkrai's right" Priscilla said, which hit me like a battering ram. There was no way Priscilla would submit to Darkrai. Not in a thousand years.

"Quit it with your stupid magic talk Darkrai. You aren't convincing anyone!" I snarled, but Darkrai simply laughed slowly.

"Perhaps I should repeat Cresselia's warning and say "Don't believe HER lies"" Darkrai laughed "I'm not using magic to persuade your dear Priscilla. Her will is her own and she would like to join me"

"Please just understand. All three of us don't stand a chance against Darkrai" Priscilla gestured to the scattered boulder pieces "He reduced an entire boulder to dust with a snap of his hands! Imagine what that can do to any of our bodies! Joining Darkrai… may be the best way to save ourselves"

"Priscilla, this isn't like you! Snap out of it!" I called, but Priscilla began to walk to stand by Darkrai's side, the Eevee eyeing me with an expression of desperation and want "Priscilla!"

"You chose wisely Priscilla. How logical of you" Darkrai smiled, then looked at me "Well Silvin? What will you do? Your most beloved has joined my side. Didn't you devote yourself to her safety?"

"I did, but…" Priscilla's betrayal hit me hard. I didn't think she would give up this easily. The Priscilla I knew would never submit to the darkness that Darkrai created "I… I don't know. I can't fight Priscilla"

"Then join us. If you do, our first order of business would be to eradicate Cresselia here from existence. From there, the world will be ours to take" Darkrai extended his hand to me "Come. Choosing to join me will save you from a life of misery"

"Don't go Silvin! Please, resist his lies!" Selenia begged.

"Come here Silvin. Please just submit to Darkrai and we can be together" Priscilla pleaded "Darkrai surely doesn't want just me. If you don't join us, he'll… he'll kill me"

To emphasis, Darkrai held a ball of purple lightning to Priscilla's head "Resist and your sweet Eevee's head gets blown off. Come and join us. Protect the ones you love"

"N-no… don't touch her. Please…" I walked up to Darkrai slowly, much to Selenia's gasp of horror "Fine. I submit. Just please don't hurt Priscilla"

"A wise choice Silvin. Just say the words "I pledge myself to Darkrai and accept the world as my own" and I'll be satisfied" Darkrai said. I knew better however. There was no way in the deepest reaches of Dark Crater that Priscilla would do this. The Priscilla I spent my entire life as a Pokemon with would never submit to evil so easily. This was all a dream. This was all the vision. This was all…

… A nightmare.

"I pledge myself to the peace of the world and accept your defeat as my own!" I shouted and punched Darkrai in the face with Brick Break, making him stagger backwards and breaking me out of the nightmare.

"Gah! Perceptive fool!" Darkrai counterattacked with a fist of darkness, but I managed to recover quickly "Blast it all! I was on the verge of success! Is this your answer Silvin?! Do you choose to resist my offer?! Do you dare to take on a GOD?!"

"Of course I do! Priscilla would never accept the offer to turn to the side of evil. Not here and not ever!" I cried "Now we'll fight, mortal to god. Let's see those godly powers in a head to head battle!"

"Hmph, very well then. You have made the wrong choice" Darkrai growled "There's nothing left to talk about. I will kill all of you now and bury you in the lava of this chamber. Darkness, serve me!"

Suddenly, the entire room blackened to the darkest shadows for a brief moment and then light returned, showing that an Arbok, Rhyperior, Magcargo, Mismagius, Aggron and Magmortar have surrounded us.

"I knew it. I figured you would do something like this. You were never content with fighting alone, even against mere mortals!" Selenia growled.

"Hah, it hardly matters how I fight. What matters is that I'll finally get rid of you meddlers once and for all" Darkrai began pulsing with a purple aura "I'll seize control of a dark world as it's god! This the end! ATTACK!"

Immediately as Darkrai's team lunged to strike, Priscilla shattered a Petrify Orb on the ground, freezing all of them in place. Selenia charged to meet Darkrai in battle and the two divine deities fought fiercely, blasting each other with waves of darkness and blades of moonlight. Darkrai slugged a fist of shadows at Selenia's side, but the Cresselia dodged and quickly fired a sphere of moonlight at the nightmare god, battering him backwards. Meanwhile, I took advantage of the petrified Pokemon by ingesting my Violent Seed and slaughtering the Rhyperior, Magcargo and Aggron with Focus Punch. By then, the petrification wore off and Priscilla ran back to avoid being targeted.

"Back me up with seeds Priscilla!" I called as I avoided the Arbok's Poison Fang and used my massive strength granted by the Violent Seed to grab it by the hood and throw it over my head, straight into the lava. The Arbok screamed in agony as it was cooked alive by the boiling heat. I quickly ate a Quick Seed to avoid the Magmorter's Flamethrower while my Ravage Ring came into effect to absorb the Mismagius's Psychic and heal the minor wounds I had. Never in my life had I felt this invincible, but it was incredible.

"Silvin! Watch out for the Magmorter's Solarbeam!" Priscilla shouted as she threw a Stun Seed at Darkrai to help Selenia. The nightmare Pokemon swatted it back before continuing to fight Selenia, swinging around a long blade of darkness with Night Slash "Mismagius has set up Sunny Day!"

"Ah!" I sidestepped quickly just as Magmorter's Solarbeam fired and I slammed Magmorter multiple times with Brick Break and Force Palm and it soon fell. Mismagius's Shadow Ball from behind knocked me to the ground briefly, but I wasn't going to die until the last drop of my blood was spilled. I pounced on the Mismagius with a low charged Focus Punch, using my Emit Ring to bypass the immunity. The Mismagius simply smiled at me seemingly futile attempt, then gasped in pain when my fist collided with it's face. Mismagius tumbled to the molten ground and Priscilla finished her off with Bite. With all of Darkrai's goons dead, we charged to assist Selenia.

"Flank Darkrai from the other side while I assist with seeds. Try to distract him so I can incapacitate him!" Priscilla called and I rushed to Darkrai's unguarded side while he was distracted by Selenia. I was about to land a Brick Break on his waist when Darkrai teleported behind me, slugging me in the back with a shadow infused fist.

"I won't be as easy as my minions, I'm afraid" Darkrai teleported further away from us and pulsed with a malefic aura, charging a ball of mind breaking energy in his hands "This'll stop you! PSYCHIC!"

The gravity above us intensified instantly, designed to break our minds utterly. I jumped over Priscilla and shielded her from the psychic energy with my Ravage Ring while Selenia simply took it with minor damage.

"Surprising, but I have more tricks up my sleeve!" Darkrai gathered a orb of darkness in his hands "Sleep, but never wake! DARK VOID!"

"Silvin and Priscilla! Watch out-" Suddenly, Selenia was sucked into a pool of darkness and emerged sleeping like a baby, her body contorting and twitching in agony. A pool opened up under Priscilla and she too was locked in endless nightmare. Luckily, Selenia broke out of the nightmare state just as fast as she was sent into it.

"I am your counterpart, fool! I was made to dispel your nightmares!" Selenia glowed with pink light briefly, curing Priscilla "Don't think your tricks will have any effect on me!"

The Cresselia shot another blast of silver moonlight at the nightmare Pokemon, but Darkrai teleported in front of her and slashed her face with Shadow Claw.

"My nightmares may not work, but my powers over darkness do!" Darkrai conjured a miniature tornado in his hands before punching Selenia with it, sending her flying to the sky with Ominous Wind. With his back turned, I lunged to strike with Priscilla backing me up. The Eevee threw an X-Eye Seed at Darkrai, but he backhanded it back with no effort and it exploded in my face, leaving me blurry, dizzy and staggering. Darkrai followed up with another Ominous Wind tornado punch, sending me flying away before doing it again to Priscilla as she tried to fire another seed. Priscilla managed to recover quickly and fed me a Heal Seed to cure the X-Eye Seed.

"Even with the goddess of dreams on your side, you are no match for me!" Darkrai closed his fist, charging dark energy that infused into his body, indicating Nasty Plot "This is the end! Say goodbye!"

"I won't allow it!" Selenia summoned a flurry of pink blades that rocketed towards Darkrai, puncturing his body in every place imaginable before he could teleport away to avoid them. He appeared behind Cresselia and erupted in a pillar of shadows with Dark Pulse, sending her sprawling towards us with many burns from the ground.

"Silvin, distract him while I heal Selenia!" Priscilla threw me another Quick Seed and Violent Seed "This calls for one of Ezra's extracts"

While Priscilla healed Selenia, I charged at Darkrai while ingesting the two seeds to ramp up my power. Physical attacks were useless against Darkrai, as he would always teleport away to avoid them. Through this cycle however, I learned where he likes to teleport.

"You always like to come at me from behind!" I threw a Brick Break at Darkrai, which he teleported to dodge like usual before pivoting on my foot to deliver a serious Focus Punch to Darkrai's stomach. The nightmare god was sent skittering backwards right into Selenia's moonlight blast. I jumped to deal the final blow to Darkrai's head, but he dodged at the last second and my hand pounded the ground, sundering the rock and dunking my hand in lava.

"AH, AH, AH! MY HAND!" I screamed, but Selenia quickly used Moonlight to heal me as well as use Safeguard to block out Darkrai's Dark Void. All before the nightmare Pokemon could catch his breath and recover.

"You damn fools. If I must die, then I'm bring all of you down with me!" Darkrai's cyan eye turned violent red and a raging vortex of darkness gathered around him "DARK PULSE!"

He fired a black shockwave straight at us which I leaped over to dodge while Selenia teleported above it with Priscilla hanging on. However, Darkrai swung his hand down, sending a gale of Ominous Wind to slash us the ground, weakening us all. Darkrai's Dark Pulse continued going and broke apart the path separating us from the cavern and Deep Dark Crater. Slowly, our arena was falling apart.

"You just made it easier for me to hit you!" I dashed with Quick Attack to attempt the same teleporting-prediction strategy, but Darkrai blocked my Brick Break with a shield of shadows, a purple skull glaring into my eyes. Suddenly, spikes extended from the shield and only the Quick Seed's speed boost saved me from getting impaled. However, in Darkrai's moment of pause, there was one trick I haven't used yet.

"Gotcha!" I threw the Stun Seed Priscilla gave me before the fight right in Darkrai's face, leaving him completely immobilized. Priscilla's X-Eye Seed soon flew after and hit Darkrai, making him completely blind as well.

"GAH! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU TO THE LOWEST REACHES OF HELL!" Darkrai roared, but I had no sympathy for a corrupt god like him. Charging Focus Punch to the point my fist smoked, I slammed my energized fist into Darkrai's face. Darkrai staggered backwards, struggling to stand before falling to one knee and finally laying face down on the ground. Darkrai was done for.

"We… did it…" Selenia wheezed in exhaustion before approaching Darkrai "And so ends your scheme Darkrai. Now, you may rest"

"R-remember Cresselia… I said… I said you can't catch me!" Darkrai somehow shook off the immobilization and glowed with dark light briefly. Behind him, a familiar swirling portal opened up. A time portal like the one Dusknoir used all those years ago.

"This dimensional hole will take me to the future… or the past. Even I don't know" Darkrai smirked darkly "But that doesn't matter. I only failed this time. I'll simply plunge the world into darkness another time!"

"Stop! Don't go anywhere!" Priscilla shouted.

"You're not getting away!" Selenia charged at Darkrai, but the nightmare simply teleported in front of the portal, erecting a wall of purple light to shield himself.

"Too bad, so sad for you. I can slip through time with one step" Darkrai laughed "I told you Cresselia. You can't catch me. In the end, it always ends in my ultimate victory. Hasta la vista!"

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" Palkia's godly voice shook the cavern and the god of space appeared beside us, shattering Darkrai's barrier instantly.

"N-no! You're…"

"... Palkia?!"

"YOU WILL PAY A GRAVE PRICE FOR CAUSING THE DISTORTION OF SPACE DARKRAI. THIS IS A STRIKE FOR JUSTICE!" Palkia roared, gathering nebula energy into his arms in preparation of Spacial Rend. The cavern shook violently around us, as Palkia's Spacial Rend was more powerful than ever. Darkrai yelped and jumped into the portal but it was too late. Palkia rushed up to the time gate and slashed it to dozens of pieces, with Darkrai's screams of terror and agony pure bliss to my ears. When Palkia finished his attack, the portal turned grey before cracks rapidly spread over it and then it shattered, the pieces disappearing into the air.

"The time gate shattered with Darkrai inside of it…!" Selenia said "What will happen to him?"

"I heard him scream. Does that mean he died inside the time gate?" Priscilla asked and Palkia turned to us, shaking his head.

"NO. THAT HASN'T HAPPENED SADLY" Palkia replied "HE HAS SUFFERED INCREDIBLE DAMAGE AND WILL APPEAR IN AN UNKNOWN PLACE… BUT HE LIVES"

"But when his injuries heal, wouldn't Darkrai return to his scheme to take over the world?" Priscilla asked worriedly.

"Remember what happened when I was attacked while time travelling?" I asked Priscilla "Darkrai attacked me while I time travelled with Grovyle. That resulted me in turning into a Pokemon and losing all my memories"

"SILVIN IS RIGHT. WHEREVER DARKRAI APPEARS IN, HE'LL HAVE NO MEMORIES. THEREFORE, A CHANCE FOR REDEMPTION" Palkia said "NOW I HAVE NO REASON TO STAY HERE ANY LONGER. FAREWELL!"

And with that, Palkia transformed into a sphere of golden light and vanished out of the cavern.

"Well then, shall we leave as well? We've done all we needed to here" Selenia said and Priscilla nodded in agreement.

"I've been waiting for hear that. Huddle up everyone. I have an Escape Orb on hand" The Eevee dug out an Escape Orb and we all grouped together to be whisked back out. Priscilla shattered the orb and a pillar of blue light warped us out of the Dark Crater. From there, Selenia teleported us back to the the cliffside of Sharpedo Bluff. We arrived back in town and everyone crowded around us, calling us heroes. The guild, Treasure Town's residents and our friends from Team Skylar were all there.

"You did it, you three! I knew you would!" Henry patted us on the back while laughing. Zelot simply congratulated us with a proud, fatherly smile while Sara fretted over us.

"Glad to see you've returned in one piece. Now the world is at peace again thanks to you" Zach hugged me and Priscilla directly, followed by Niko "I don't know what fate has against you, but you've gone on two grueling journeys to save the world. Somehow, you survived both"

"Sometimes I can't believe it myself" I laughed before bearing the brunt of a hug from a Dragonite "Whoa! Is that you Aria?"

"Yeah! I evolved into a Dragonite while you two were gone. Now I'm big, mighty and strong like you are!" Aria laughed "Just watch me. I'm going to become the best Pokemon in Team Skylar!"

"You already are Aria!" Priscilla laughed as Aria picked her up to hug as well "I'm so glad to be back with you all…"

"Thank you so much for avenging Julius" Aluciad and Julia approached me with heartwarming smiles "And for saving the world yet again. I've only just met you, but I feel that your future will be as bright as a star. You'll live to accomplish amazing things"

"Maybe so. Right now though, I just want to sit back and relax. Maybe retire from exploring for a while" I smiled, rubbing the back of my head "Right now… I'm so, so tired"

"One day you'll return to exploring, right? Me and Aluciad only just met you and you're retiring already?" Julia asked worriedly and I laughed.

"Of course I'll return to exploring. I just need a little break like now" I nodded to the two, then faced Alster and Ezra when they approached me.

"You somehow did it. You somehow beat the god of nightmares Darkrai himself" Alster shook his head "I don't know whether to be impressed or marvel at your luck"

"Probably the latter. I don't know how we did it either, even with Selenia's help" I noticed Ezra and Alster nudging closer to each other subtly "You are two perhaps-"

"Not a word yet Silvin. Not a single word" Ezra interrupted, though she smiled through the scold "While you were gone, us as a team arranged to go try and find the Seven Treasures. I'm assuming you won't be joining us?"

"Sorry. Me and Priscilla are just too tired to really explore anywhere now. Not even Beach Cave" I joked "One day after a couple weeks of rest, we'll go"

"Alright. We'll wait until you two recover. Can't go on a big expedition like this without the leaders, can't we? Something seemed to nudge at Ezra's foot and she turned to see Eliana "Oh, there you are Eliana. Feeling better?"

"Yeah. Send my thanks to the Cresselia for curing me of the nightmare. And of course, thank you and Priscilla for saving the world from chaos yet again" The Shaymin grinned "I'm glad to be on a team with such legendary heroes"

"Ha ha. Glad you feel that way Eliana" I nuzzled the Shaymin's head before turning to Selenia behind me. She seemed a bit nervous around crowds, so she nudged me to go talk in private at Sharpedo Bluff. Priscilla followed me as well, claiming that we needed to talk to Selenia privately.

"Thanks to you, Darkrai's scheme has been foiled and the world is at peace again. My role as a Cresselia for this generation is done" Selenia said "So I have a request for you"

"What is it Selenia?" Priscilla asked.

"May I join your exploration team? I hope you feel comfortable with a goddess in your ranks. I'll… try to act like normal Pokemon like you" Selenia said shyly "Please?"

"Of course you can join us. I'm sure our team will accept you with open arms as well" I nodded "Welcome to Team Skylar, Selenia"

"I'm honored to be a member of it" Selenia smiled, then murmured to herself "Finally, a chance at a normal life like I wanted. No more pursuing Darkrai, no more living in isolation. Finally… I am with what I can call friends"

"What was that Selenia?"

"Oh, nothing. Come, let us celebrate. Or do you want to rest?"

"I'll rest, thank you. The fight against Darkrai drained me" Priscilla sighed "Let's just tell the Treasure Town residents to resume normal business. All this is just getting embarrassing"

"Agreed. Let's round up our team and finally go home" I kissed Priscilla's cheek, much to her blush and led her back into Treasure Town, hand in hand. At last, our journey was over.

 **And so, this novelization comes to end after the epilogue chapter coming very soon. I'd like to thank my girlfriend and a close friend I have on Discord, Duplecian for being my main source of motivation to continue this series. Without them, I doubt I would of gotten this far. Of course, I appreciate all of you silent fans out there reading this story as well. The epilogue will be out tomorrow and see you all in the PMD1 novelization: Fateful Saviors. Until next time!**


	50. Epilogue: A Future of Light

PMD: Explorers of Light and Shadow

Epilogue: A Future of Light

Six years after our fight with Darkrai, me, Priscilla, Zelot and Sara were sitting on a high hilltop overlooking the sea, having a picnic. The weather couldn't be more perfect than today. The sun beaming down brightly, the sea winds calm and cool and I just felt so… satisfied and happy with how my life has gone ever since that fateful day. That fateful day Priscilla found me unconscious on the beach. It's been eleven years since our adventure began and now both of us were at a ripe age of 25. Assuming fatigue didn't catch up with me, I still had many, many years to live and more adventures to come. But I knew the biggest one was finally over. Fate would stop using me as their pawn to challenge gods no normal Riolu could possibly stand up to.

"Woo hoo! I did it!"

"Wow, you did it Rylin! Daddy! Mommy! Come here and look!" A young Eevee and Riolu paired bounded up to us, their expressions pure joy and happiness, like all children should be. I smiled warmly at the children. Me and Priscilla's children.

"Rylin he… he used Force Palm to break a boulder in half!" The Eevee, Eviolyn babbled "It was amazing! He pressed his hand against the rock, closed his eyes and then BOOM! The rock exploded!"

"Ha ha! You're making great progress Rylin. Soon, you'll be just as strong as I am" I patted the Riolu's head affectionately and he giggled "Maybe someday, you can join us on an exploration. Go out and see the whole wide world"

"The whole world? Like the one on your… wonder maps?" Rylin asked "They aren't that big. I could walk over those"

"No, no, Rylin. The map is a heavily scaled down version of this land. The world around us is much, much bigger" Priscilla, an Espeon now, checked Rylin's hand "Did you feel something wrong with your hand after using Force Palm?"

"No, I'm fine mommy" The Riolu shook his head, then looked behind us "Hey Ruben and Rivera! Are you done eating yet? I want to play in the forest with you guys!"

"Just a couple more minutes. Be patient!" Ruben, a Misdreavus born two years before Rylin and Eviolyn, called "I think Rivera's ready to go though!"

"But I don't like the forest! It's filled with those icky bugs that crawl all over your skin" Rivera, a Ralts shivered at the thought while Sara and Zelot laughed "I like being out in the open plains here"

"Okay, meet you in the center of the fields and we'll play tag!" Rylin grinned, then looked at his sister "And don't use Quick Attack to cheat, alright?"

"Aww… fine" Eviolyn pouted, then looked at Ruben "You better get here before we start otherwise we're going without you"

"Can't have that. Go on Ruben, join up with your friends" Sara goaded the young Misdreavus forward "You can't sit here and admire the sea all day"

"Alright. But tag's no fun when I'm the fastest" Ruben said smugly and Rylin grinned.

"Bet you I'm faster. Race you to the center of the fields!"

"You're on!" And the four children bounded off down the hill, their laughter echoing through the tranquil valley.

"Watching them reminds me so much of when we first met you two at Fogbound Lake" Sara smiled, remembering the memory fondly "Two young children without a care in the world, doing what you enjoy best: Exploring and being with friends"

"I remember myself and Priscilla being more serious than them back then" I laughed "But I get what you mean. Watching them is like looking at ourselves through a mirror. Hard to believe I looked exactly like Rylin when me and Priscilla faced Darkrai"

"No wonder Sara and Zelot saw us as children when they first met us. We haven't grown at all during our adventures" Priscilla lied down beside me on her belly and yawned "But look at how far we've come. Now you're a tall, handsome and powerful Lucario"

"And you're an elegant, beautiful and intelligent Espeon" I complimented back and Zelot smiled, exasperated.

"You two aren't shy with how much you adore each other, do you? I hope you don't do this in front of your children. It's awkward" The Gallade sat down warily beside us. His and Sara's age were starting to show, with both of them being in their late 30s and approaching 40. The energy and power behind both of them was starting to wane slightly "Still, I can't agree more with how far you've two have come. First you were two rookies in a ragtag exploration team. At that time, your greatest achievement was defeating Groudon"

"Which turned out to be an illusion" Priscilla turned her head to the sea of trees lining the coast line "We got to fight the real Groudon at Shimmer Desert though, so that makes up for it"

"Speaking of the desert, the next part of our adventure was going to the Northern Desert to find the Time Gear" I turned to Zelot "You and Sara accompanied us. Remember the quicksand pits near the end?"

"I still don't know how you figured out something was under those quicksand pits. I would of given up right then and there if I couldn't find any clues" The Gallade turned to Sara, who was floating down to join us on the hillside "Then after that, you took on Grovyle at Crystal Lake along with Zach and Niko"

"Sorry to interrupt, but who's watching the camp while we're gone?" Sara asked "I remember hearing Zach was taking Eliana to watch the stars atop Sky Peak while Ezra and Alster took a vacation to the Marine Resort. Henry, Aria, Julia and Aluciad flew to Happy Outlook. That leaves…"

"Selenia, Manaphy and Niko at camp" I confirmed "It's alright Sara. There's nothing in the world that can possibly threaten the camp while we're gone"

"Yeah… I guess I'm just being paranoid. I always get worried whenever I leave someone alone where I can't protect them" The Mismagius shook her head "Ah, I'm fretting too much. There's nothing to worry about, right?"

"Of course not" I looked ahead into the fields, where I saw Eviolyn with her paws over her eyes, counting down loudly "Looks like the kids are playing hide and seek. Want to join them?"

"I could use some whimsical fun for a bit. Haven't done that in forever" Zelot turned to Sara "Come on Sara. Let's go hide"

After the two left, Priscilla turned to me with a amused expression.

"Two adults in their late 30s playing hide and seek. That's not something you see everyday" The Espeon noted.

"Their lives would of been like this if bandits haven't burned their village down. I'm sure they're joining along to reenact those moments" I offered my hand to Priscilla "And we should too. Your parents passed very early in your life and I don't even remember who mine are. We should take this chance to be children and remember those happy times"

"Life would of been so much easier if fate hasn't chosen us" The Espeon stood up and kissed me deeply on the lips "But that journey has taught and robbed me of so much, yet I gained so much more. Our friends, our team, the peace of the world, our children and of course… you"

"Let's make our children's future the brightest it'll ever be. A future of light" I stood up and began walking down the grassy hillside "They shouldn't suffer the miseries we went through on our adventure. Children should be happy. I will always fight to keep their smiles bright"

"Then our first step to that goal is right in front of us" Priscilla noticed everyone gathering around to start a new game of hide and seek "Perhaps your evolution wasn't all good. You won't be good at hiding with your height increase"

"We'll see. I have Dig for a reason" I smiled "Come on, let's join them. They'll start without us if we lag behind"

"Ha ha. Can't even wait for their parents, can't they…?" Priscilla smiled back warmly and we walked down the hillside, hand in hand. Together, with our friends, with our loved ones and our children. On the night I was revived into this world, I thought I could never be happier.

I was wrong. I was more happier than I ever was now.

 **And thus, the story comes to a close. I have never felt more satisfied in my life for completing something and now that's it done, I feel like this is the end of another arc of my life. Thank you all for sticking through with me on this journey and I appreciate all the silent love through views, favorites and follows. A big thanks to my girlfriend and the best online friend I had, Duplecian for being my main motivation for continuing this story. Like I said in the previous chapter, I'll be starting a PMD1 novelization soon, so expect a prologue chapter to be up in the coming weeks. Thank you all again and see you all in my future fics here. Until next time!**


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